What’s wrong with this picture?

Of all the dangerous things the worker operating this handheld circular saw is doing, the one that scares me the most is using his legs to brace the board he’s cutting.

The Moral: Don’t let your workers use portable circular saws—or any other portable tool—unless they:

• Wear safety glasses to protect their eyes from dust and wood chips;
• Use hearing and head protection; and
• Use a proper platform to cut the object—legs don’t count as a proper platform!

Handheld Circular Saws

What’s at Stake: 3 Reasons to Pay Attention

1. An average of more than 10,000 US workers suffer serious circular saw injuries each year
2. Almost all of these injuries are preventable
3. The thing that would have prevented the most injuries: proper use of the saw

3 Handheld Circular Saw Hazards to Watch Out For

1. Point of Operation Hazards: You can get hurt if your hands slip or you get too close to the saw during cutting.

Prevention strategy: Keep your hands out of the line of the cut.

2. Flying Particles: Wood chips, splinters and broken saw teeth may be thrown off by the blade’s cutting action.

Prevention strategy: Use proper eye and face protection.

3. Kickback: When the blade catches the stock, it may be thrown back toward the operator.

Prevention strategy: Keep the blade sharp, use the saw at the speed the manufacturer recommends and properly support the stock being cut—remember, using your legs is not a proper means of support!

8 Circular Saw Operation Do’s and Don’ts

There are 8 things to do/not do when operating a handheld circular saw

• DO use the proper blade for cutting action, e.g., don’t use crosscut blades for ripping
• DON’T use the saw at speeds the manufacturer says are unsafe
• DO maintain and sharpen the blade
• DON’T use saws to cut stock that isn’t properly braced
• DO use eye and face protection when operating the saw
• DON’T use saws if the blade is cracked
• DO direct the saw blade away from the aisle and any people who are near the saw
• DON’T use a saw if it doesn’t have an upper guard that covers the entire blade and a lower guard that’s retractable