Workshop Safety Recommendations

When planning and building your workshop, take into account these safety recommendations that provide more than an ounce of prevention.

1. Smoke Detector: A must-have not only for your workshop but every room in your house. When testing make sure you can hear it from inside the house or wherever you might be when your workshop is closed. Also check batteries regularly.
2. First Aid Kit: A standard red-cross certified first-aid kit that should contain gauze, tape, scissors, bandages, disinfectant, burn ointment, tweezers, and eye-wash solution.
3. Exhaust Fan: To draw off toxic fumes or potentially explosive dust. It will also keep your shop cooler during the summer months without the use of an AC unit.
4. Subpanel: It helps to have access to a properly labeled subpanel where you can shut-down power instantly to all tools.
5. GFCI Outlets and Striped Raceway: Your workshop should have plenty of outlets installed (preferably GFCI) so as not to overload a powerstrip as well as keep cords from being stretched to far causing potential accidents from tripping. For power tools that will be used away from walls and outlets you should install a striped raceway that is an insulated cord that runs along the floor and leads to an outlet in the center of the room. These will prevent tripping from cords and provide convenient power for free-standing power tools such as circular saws or table saws. Make sure the raceways are striped with colored tape for visibility.

  August 28, 2007 | Comments (1)