Power drills are incredibly useful tools in many woodwork applications. However, they can become an unavoidable risk in the workplace if they are handled without proper safety routines. According to annual reports released by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, it is estimated that close to 2500 people experience power drill related injuries on a yearly basis, some of which are very dangerous. It is important for anyone to extensively train on how to avoid injuries linked to power drills, and the following Power Drill safety tips can be a great starting point.
1. Learning the right rules on how to use a power drill
Some of the potential dangers presented by power drills may not be from the machine components but the behaviors demonstrated by persons using them. For instance, applying excessively high pressure on a woodwork surface may cause some moving components of a power drill to get lose, fly off and possibly cause harm by hitting vital organs such as the eye. Power drill bits also have a hardness limit for surfaces. Using a drill bit on a surface that exceeds its hardness limit may cause its endpoints to break, generate excessive vibrations and present harm to the person using the machine.
2. Observing the right protective attire
The right protective gear when using power drill machine must be observed at all times failure of which chances of meeting harm may increase. That is because the machine’s moving components may accidentally tightly hold onto loose shirt sleeves, jewelry or hanging hair and throw person using the machine the wrong way. Protective clothing such as such full aprons, eye goggles, hand gloves, ear muffs and heavy boots must be worn, and there must be no instance when any of the mentioned protective gears be missing.
3. Routinely inspecting and fixing any flaw observed in a Power Drill
Power Drill does undergo excessive vibrations when working on relatively hard wood surfaces. The vibrations are responsible for slow but steady loosening of the machine’s joints, and such actions are what present risks in the long run. Assuming that the loosening joints are not fixed accordingly at the right time, they will get so loose to the extent they may breakdown when a Power Drill is in action.
It is a good practice if Power Drills are regularly inspected for flaws before they are put to use. Any observed flaw should then be fixed accordingly either by repairs or having replacements for parts that might be damaged beyond repair. Lubricating the joints must also apply regularly since dry joints may create imbalanced vibrations that can cause some components to break from the machine.
4. Caring for Power Drill bits the right way
Drill bits often get excessively clogged with wood dust when used for long sessions. Always choose the right Forstner Bits for any wood work task you intend to do with a power drill. Excessively clogged bits may require excessive force to handle, and that may lead to work difficulty for the person using the drill and further create dangers such as unnecessary jumps when drilling hard surfaces.
5. Preventing electric shocks
If a power drill is frequently dropped against hard surfaces or roughly handled; its electrical wire connections may get exposed and present electric shock scare. Always check for loose connections in the plugs and ensure that the wires used are fully intact. A power drill shouldn’t be handled by its cords since that may create a possibility of creating a loose connection in the machine’s electrical components. Keep the cords from any sharp surface that may expose the internal live wiring and avoid using a power drill in wet conditions that may create a possibility of encountering undesirable current leakages.
6. Keeping the work area free from unnecessary debris
Some debris such small metal chips from working machines may fly off and get into contact with the power drill when it is operating. That may present a potentially dangerous situation. A clean work area minimizes such incidences and greatly enhance workshop safety anytime a power drill is being used.
The tips mentioned here must be applied consistently, and all of them must be adhered to. Exercising some rules while disregarding the others still creates a possibility of encountering dangers when using power drills. For the intentions of keeping a safe working environment, it is better if all the safety rules are regularly reinforced.