Safety is YOUR Responsibility, Or is it Theirs?

Article - August 9, 2012

I have been a subscriber to all of the big woodworking magazines for years now. At least a few times a year, these magazines will publish a reader’s letter that castigates them for demonstrating some unsafe practice or another. In the October 2012 issue of Fine Woodworking Magazine, I read one such apology that sticks in my craw: “We should have insisted on hearing protection when we took this photo of Alan Turner.” The photo in question was featured on the cover of the previous issue (left) and it shows Alan making a cut with no hearing protection. One might also point out, if they were so inclined, that he’s wearing reading glasses instead of safety glasses and his sleeves are a little baggy.

Let’s Face the Facts

There are two truths that I think we should consider. First is the true dirty reality of shop safety. Whether most of us realize it or not, there are thousands of shops around the world where a crap-ton of woodworking gets done WITHOUT the standard safety equipment we generally consider mandatory. Of course I am not supporting unsafe work environments but they do exist. The second thing is that a person decked out in a half-mask respirator, ear muffs, and impact-resistant goggles doesn’t exactly make for the most attractive magazine cover. Should magazines be given a pass for things like this or should they be required to strictly adhere to all the best safety practices? Are we really supposed to believe that after nearly 40 years in this business, Fine Woodworking “accidentally” published these pictures? Or can we assume this was just a calculated risk for the sake of better-looking images?

Personal Protective Equipment

Of course I realize that these magazines are in the position of teaching people how to work wood and safety is certainly a major part of their responsibility. I think they do a great job of showing us the safest possible woodworking techniques. But when it comes to PPE (personal protective equipment), do they really need to be so strict? Should there be any allowance for common sense or for how some folks choose do things in their shops? Dust does not make your lungs happy. Wood slivers are not a welcome addition to your eyeballs. Loud sounds will hurt your ears. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that if you don’t know these things, you probably aren’t ready to be in a wood shop in the first place without direct supervision.

Now don’t get me wrong, you folks know I’m a huge proponent of safety (heard of Safety Week?). I am certainly not condoning un-safe practices. I do my best to show the safest procedures in each and every piece of content I produce. I also know I have a lot of younger viewers/readers and it is incredibly important for me to set a good example when it comes to shop safety. But for things like woodworking videos and articles, which are just as much entertainment as they are education, is there a point where we should cut the publishers some slack? Do they constantly need to remind us about PPE, as if we aren’t aware of it? Are they being negligent if they put someone on the cover who isn’t wearing a full set of safety gear? Is it our responsibility to email them when they fail to include PPE in their photos, as if they aren’t already aware of it?

The Police

I have the highest respect for those who use proper grammar and I try to do so myself, but I have a strong distaste for “grammar police.” Similarly, I am a big believer in safety practices and I believe we should try to be as safe as possible in our shops, but I could do without the “safety police”, primarily when it comes to PPE. So my personal opinion is that we should indeed cut content-producers a little slack. Not to mention, while your email may result in a correction or apology, it probably won’t stop it from happening again. What are your thoughts on this?

Discussion

Jarrid August 9, 2012 6:44 am

PPE is “personal” for a reason… It’s for your own protection, and if you choose not to use it, that’s your “personal” choice. Who’s to say that this was even shot during an actual cut? Plain and simple, PPE is for PERSONAL protection and a personal preference. If you anyone isn’t familiar with the meaning of the word “personal”, then they should probably use something called a dictionary and look it up. After all, it’s JUST A PICTURE. #SMH

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- james August 9, 2012 10:41 pm
  
  Umm, no ,personal in this case would mean, “on your person”, not things like barriers and fences, because they are not on your person, i do agree that we can make our own decisions so long as we don’t promote unsafe practices, if you’re at home by yourself, no-ones gonna know, but with a magazine cover, its almost imperative that they promote safe practices, and even if he wasn’t making an actual cut then and there, it’s no reason for him not to wear PPE when advertising, who knows if hes making a real cut or not, some people may think he is and then imitate his methods and get hurt, then who’s to blame?
  
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Jeff August 9, 2012 6:54 am

In my opinion, most of the safety police, grammar police, the which-side-of-the-street-I-should-walk-on-after-a-snowfall police- (yes I ran into one of those once) are just people who feel the world simply could not operate as effectively without their sage advice.

And these people generally have this need to insert themselves into everybody else’s life because the rest of the world (for good reason) seldom asks them for advice.

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Bob Daniel August 9, 2012 6:58 am

I was unable to find any grammatical errors in your article, Marc, but I shall re-read and get back to you. As for safety, yes, we all have to draw a personal line in the sand for our own safety issues. For me, I don’t pick up a screwdriver without eye protection (well, maybe a screwdriver), I use the hearing protection if I’m going to be at a machine for a while, I rarely use the dust mask unless I’m really kicking it up, and I only remove my watch when I’m at the lathe and the chips get under it and make it uncomfortable.

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Rick Shevitt August 9, 2012 7:08 am

Marc, thanks for this write up. It brings up the question — “Who is responsible for my shop safety?” I have only been working around saws for 40 years and somehow I still have all ten fingers attached. I will admit that I have suffered some hearing loss — I am no longer able to listen to idiots. I have never, in all that time, thought someone else should be keeping an eye on me. I also must confess that with every saw I own, the first thing I remove is the blade guard — they are dangerous!! I have trained many men through the years and they have all learned that the most important safety tool is common sense.

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Randy Allaway August 9, 2012 7:21 am

I’m not going to count on a magazine to provide me with something that should be basic common sense to do: if you’re working in a loud environment for longer than a few seconds, wear some damn earplugs. Sure, a reminder in the text of an article is fine. Or if the process has some sort of unusual or hidden dangerous element to it, then I definitely wanna know! But insisting that Mr. Turner wear earplugs for what was likely a six-second cut? Kinda ridiculous.

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Claude Stewart August 9, 2012 7:33 am

I rarely hearing protection except when I’m using the planner or when I ripping a lot of boards. My eye protection is my glasses. And I only use a respirator when I’m really kicking it up also. I also never have a blade guard my table saw. So to each his own. But if you are recording content I think you should use safety practices or explain why you are not.

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Bradley Gawthrop August 9, 2012 7:39 am

Even if every picture had to have proper PPE, Hearing protection is for protecting your hearing and it’s only needed when the sound passes a certain SPL. You don’t wear them for fashion. If it wasn’t loud enough to need them, he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

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Jim D. August 9, 2012 7:41 am

Marc,

My only concern is the younger viewer/readers you mentioned. In my younger and dumber years I was a heavy equipment mechanic in the oilfields. In my early and mid 20’s I was indestructible (remember those days everyone?). I neglected hearing protection and now I have a serious case of tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears). If I had been warned maybe I might have avoided it (maybe I wouldn’t have but at least I would have been informed). We are not born with inherent safety knowledge. No matter how much the term “common sense” is bandied about we all still need to learn. I do not think that this means magazines need to have covers with people in hazmat suits but I do think it is incumbent on them to clearly and boldly state that the use of safety gear is encouraged and recommended and the subjects of the pictures made a personal choice to pose as they did.

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Mark Lybrand August 9, 2012 7:48 am

Like one person said, it may not be an actual cut. Another point, if the saw was on, it may have caused electronic “noise”, or the vibration of the saw might effect the image either in the camera or in the lighting. Some people just don’t have anything better to do with their time than to criticize some one else’s writing and while doing so uses non words like “alot” or using words that they forgot to use spell check or a dictionary before putting them in their “rant”. Just so you know, I’m neither ranting or criticizing.

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jHop August 9, 2012 7:52 am

One of the things I like about the Woodcraft and Woodshop magazines is that they do these photos, but the blades are not moving. This gives the illusion of the process to make the cut, without the safety risks. Of course, they also pose the guy without safety gear, so it is only because I know (some of) what I’m doing that I realize this is a posed shot.

There are also those shots in various magazines where the safety guard has been “phased out,” meaning you could see it there but the photo editing has rendered it nearly transparent. I prefer these shots, as you can still see what’s going on with the blade, but you also realize that there is safety gear present. It provides that image of what would be going on should you be able to see through the “idiot guards” most tools come with. And, addresses the issue for new users of “why doesn’t my tool look like theirs in the glossy magazines?”.

Yes. Safety is our own responsibility. But if nobody steps forward to mention it, or show proper examples, how are we to know what steps we should be doing to protect ourselves? I like Norm beginning every episode with the same safety mantra, but that only works if you start at the beginning. I like Matt’s mantra, but you never hear it on mic anymore. (Hint hint.) You have taken the time to point out times when you’ve removed the safety guard, and even removed the guard on some tools to eliminate the mysteries behind the metal plates (pointing out that this should be done with the cords unplugged) in the middle of videos. Maybe we need these periodic “sanity checks,” just to keep us honest.

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Andrew August 9, 2012 8:08 am

The only person you have to explain your lack of using safety equipment to is your spouse and emergency room doctor.

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Dan August 9, 2012 8:09 am

Yes- Amen! Apology not necessary from Fine Woodworking. Use of PPE is a personal choice. I wear hearing protection because, frankly, it’s more comfortable to wear it than to go without when working with loud machines. But I also wear plain old glasses (w/ plastic lenses) because goggles actually impair my vision. I choose to not use a blade guard because I think clunky mechanisms on the table saw actually create a more dangerous situation than just being cautious, keeping an eye on the fence, and accepting the inherent risk of woodworking. (I use a SawStop for added safety, but I perched over a Unisaw for years without problem.) Accidents happen, and I almost never claim a woodworker is stupid because of an injury they sustained. It just happens. But ultimately, use of safety equipment is a personal choice, and the “safety police” are a real annoyance.

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Tom Stephenson August 9, 2012 8:11 am

Safety is a personal responsibility in the shop. Period. Having said that, FWW, PopWood and the others out there have a responsibility to show and teach the safest methods possible, and should teach basic safety techniques. Yes, they fail every now and then. Garrett Hack’s tablesaw technique should be a primer on how NOT to use a tablesaw. Sam Maloof’s bandsawing techinique was a nightmare–at least Sam admitted as much and encouraged viewers and students to not follow his methods. Ultimately, the only person that can keep you safe in the shop is YOU. And the worst injuries I’ve had in the shop have bee from chisels at the bench, not a power tool.

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Jon in Austin August 9, 2012 8:20 am

Unfortunately – this is just a byproduct from the proliferation of injury liability lawsuits. Common sense and personal responsibility are no longer viable defenses.

Somewhere along the line an FWW lawyer got involved to tell them that they could become part of a lawsuit if someone got hurt and that person points at their magazine as the reason why. Adding in the retraction/clarification after the fact still shows that FWW is aware of the potential issue and is actively addressing it. That somewhat limits their liability.

The only other solution is to put a warning label on the front of the magazine like they have on power tools. Just say that you can be hurt/maimed/killed if you attempt to follow any of the examples they provide. Yeah – that would go over well!

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Tom August 9, 2012 8:26 am

I work with teenagers in a Robotics competition, where they build competitive robots from raw materials – plywood, sheet steel, etc. I also judge the “engineering notebooks” they create as part of the competition. One team included an extra page, which was a test everyone had to pass: a dozen questions on shop safety! I think it’s important to teach kids – and learning adults – about shop hazards and reasonable precautions. One really good way to teach is by example.

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Adrian Anguiano August 9, 2012 8:31 am

I believe its really just a picture and nothing more; and should be viewed as such.

BUT

If someone is breaking a golden rule, then we should fix that pic since so many people read their magazine. People that are experts like the above comments who say its rubish, and people that have never touched a saw who need to know even common sense stuff. It wasnt all common sense at the beginning

One of those being loose clothing. He is most likely not going to roll up and roll down his sleeves every time he cuts. But he is likely to take on and off hearing protection.

In this case im concerned about his sleeves, but dont think we should get critical on his glasses or hearing protection.

And this is all being nit picky, cause when my magazine came in the mail, thats the last thing i picked up on.

Who stares as the pic that long anyways? This isnt where is waldo!

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Mattias August 9, 2012 8:32 am

I think they are within their full right to go for aestethics instead of safety. People make terrible choices and will continue to do so.

Some exceptions… Norm caters to the beginners. It makes sense that he does his safety schpiel. Another situation is when the photo is something so unsafe that it distracts. A non woodworking example is a TV interview recorded in a car while not wearing a seat belt. I can’t even hear what they are saying.

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pagel August 9, 2012 8:44 am

This issue has bugged me for some time and I’m so glad you brought it up. I groan every time I see one of those “Letters to the Editor.” I wish that the FWW editors didn’t feel obligated to apologize for their photographic art decisions. They’ve explained this aesthetic aspect of the magazine before but it doesn’t seem get through to the safety police. It’s just too bad that explaining the obvious at every turn has now become a necessity.

Perhaps they should also include a shot of the author’s dust collection system in every shot that uses a power tool…

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tom buhl August 9, 2012 8:45 am

disclaimer: with my old table saw I generally did use the overhead guards with splitter, however with my new saw which includes a riving knife, I’ve never even tried the guards…but I do know where they are stored.
The problem with the “safety equipment removed for clarity” message is when sans-equipment becomes the default image we have of a table saw in operation. Over time, we just see that as natural…despite warnings and announcements.
An appropriate compromise would be for publications and content producers to find ways to incorporate safety gear in photos often enough that it has a chance to be seen as possible, if not the standard.
A reality may be that many folks who post the disclaimers do not really use the gear even when off camera and they are just covering their butts. Losing a finger is ok, but please do not sue my a–.

Lastly, cudos to Marc for bringing up the discussion and for the fact that his videos over the years have shown the overhead safety devices in place on many occasions. Almost makes it look like the cool thing to do. Like wearing safety belts just like big boy/girl race car drivers do.

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- pagel August 9, 2012 9:40 am
  
  The problem with the “safety equipment removed for clarity” message is when sans-equipment becomes the default image we have of a table saw in operation. Over time, we just see that as natural…despite warnings and announcements.
  
  I disagree, tom, and this goes against my usual inclinations. More often than not, I advocate for a position that recognizes personal responsibility as an issue involving multiple actors and rarely as an issue of isolated accountability. We learn about safety, and everything else, within the larger context of a community and thus responsibility is shared on some level. But that learning process also involves using that knowledge for ourselves in a rational and commonsense way.
  
  If all we’re doing it repeating what we see others do and not taking that extra step to make reasonable judgments on what we see, then we haven’t learned anything. It would be different if the only images and information we had were of unsafe practices, which is obviously not the case.
  
  As Marc pointed out, “…if you don’t know these things, you probably aren’t ready to be in a wood shop in the first place without direct supervision.”
  
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Rick August 9, 2012 8:49 am

Our PPE and shop safety practices are indeed a ‘personal’ choices. Stressing proper shop safety practices are likewise the ‘personal’ choices of media properties. Safety Week, and Norm’s frequent admonishments (…read, understand & follow…safety glasses…) are great examples of ongoing woodworker safety education.

Sadly, however, examples abound in the shop, as well as far too many other activities, where ‘personal’ choices remain personal only until injury occurs, at which time personal choice & education gives way to litigation, i.e., the 2010 $1.5 M jury award against Ryobi.

While that case seemed to focus on a breach of warranty of merchantability for the manufacturer’s tool not employing SawStop-like technology, is negligence liability over lack of proper safety practice education for media properties that unlikely?

So, yes, cut content producers some slack in the interests of technique demonstration clarity & presentation – with encouragement to support & encourage shop safety up front. Likely, media property lawyers are advising likewise as a pre-emptive defense in case of future litigation.

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Twoherbs Shop August 9, 2012 8:53 am

I agree that this was a op photo. However, I’m a safety officer. If you are working in your own shop, that is one thing. If you are working in someone elses shop or at work or in a shared shop, etc., completely different. At work, workman’s comp kicks in and if someone gets injured you have several expenses, some will be huge and will proably close down a small shop: the injury (let’s face it, thousands & thousands), OSHA violation and possibly fines, increased insurance/workman’s comp costs. Thus where I work, we enforce the rules for several reasons, and yes we got rid of older machines and put in ones that are flesh sensing (our insurance helped to pay for them). In my person shop. that I let other guys use, they must: 1)no alcohol in them or with them, 2) safety glasses mandatory, 3) ear protection on some equipment, 4) proper clothes. Yes, shops are dangerous getused to it! But no reason to tempt fate.

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Chris August 9, 2012 9:05 am

Being a actively serving member of the military I believe I have a real appreciation for PPE, especially in my day to day job, as it is usually designed to save my life or increase my “effectiveness”.

So there is an obvious parallel to working in the shop, and of course if given the chance you should use your safety gear, we’re all adults are we not? Yet I can’t help but feel some of this gear is just cumbersome and simply gets in the way. To that effect I will let you know that there is a lot of gear that I Don’t use.

In my shop I use my push sticks, my safety glass’s, and riving knife, as well I use what ever guards come with the equipment I use.

Now that being said I don’t use a respirator, should I ? of course I should there is no denying I should. I should also use feather boards and the blade guard on my table saw, but to be honest after my first “nick” with a saw blade when I was 16( nothing significant), I tend to pay close attention to a moving blade these days.

You don’t have to be a genius to know these things,
Common Sense should prevail,
if it doesn’t feel right/ look right, then why are you doing it?

Further more I don’t where ear protection when I’m on deployment( I like to hear everything) I am a grown adult and made a judgement call, I also use Common Sense that if I’m going to be placing my fingers where they should NOT be, there is not a whole lot I can do about the out come, and it is MY fault for putting my finger’s there in the first place.

Sorry if I am coming off a little strong, not my intention, I agree with Andrew :D

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Dave Ray August 9, 2012 9:07 am

Safety in your shop is YOUR responsibility. W/W mags.: training films, tuturials, I think do a very good job of explaining the known and potential hazards in a given situation. Once you are aware of the hazards “Commom Sense Rules.” If you are not comfortable performing a certain operation, DON’T Do It. Find away around it, or get someone more experienced to do it. Realize that staged photo’s are just that “staged.” I feel that so called “nubies” to W/W should be taught safety first. Safety must be stressed repeatedly in all levels of training and I feel it is.

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Andy August 9, 2012 9:14 am

On the topic of safety police, I’ve been watching the WoodWhisperer for several years now and I know you try to do everything as safe as possible. You even go out of your way to point out when things are dangerous.

As for people comment on things for the most part I think it’s a good idea but some people go overboard. Let’s face facts here – a wood working shop is not the safest place, wood is tougher then skin and almost everything in the shop is designed to cut wood.

That being said I would still open to suggestions and ideas on how to make operations safer but if you do not wear hearing protection, dusk mask and eye protection 24/7 on ever project I’m not going to complain.

One other point I would like to bring is that I’ve watched a number of other woodworkers and no one is perfect in safety, myself included.

AndyL.

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Richard Wile August 9, 2012 9:23 am

Another person writing into a magazine with another bleeding heart “my role on earth is to make everyone as anal as me”. There is a weather lady on my home TV station that sometimes wears rather snug fitting clothes and she gets emails and calls about it – do these people have anything better to do with their time? Heck its why I watch the weather…

Do we really care, or more importantly does it have any impact on my personal PPE decisions – don’t think so. I actually bought that issue of FWW because of the picture on the cover – I needed a crosscut sled for my Hal Taylor rocker build and those loose cuffs did not suggest to me this was a bad article. It’s just a picture – after re-looking at it, I realized there was a guy standing behind the crosscut sled…:-)

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Jason Feltzer August 9, 2012 9:26 am

It is my opinion that each person has to do what they feel is necessary in their own environment, you can’t legislate that people be smart! Not to make a political argument but the rise of liberalism in the United States has led to the legislative increase with people always trying to assign blame not take responsibility. The biggest example was the situation in California with the Saw Stop technology the gentleman in the case knew that he was doing wrong but he wanted to blame someone for what happened based on his actions, and yes I understand that this was a workplace situation and it needed to be addressed as such but now the more liberal states in the Union are now debating making the choice for me on what tools I will b able to purchase for use in my own home where they have no effect on others, not the right thing to do. The best things for safety is education of the hazards involved and respect for the tools ability to cause harm, too many people have the idea that everything can be made totally safe with the right amount of legislation and oversight which just is not true! Sorry if this did not flow well.

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Brandon West August 9, 2012 9:32 am

I love when people have to find something to moan about. I didn’t even think about the safety aspects of the man making the cut in the photo. The heading says “Dead Square Crosscut Sled” not “How To Safetly Use A Table Saw.” Were the article about the later, I would assume the picture would incorporate the aspects of that article. The article is about an awesome crosscut sled and accurately depicts one. I can justify the apology if there were a safety issue with the sled that was built and they neglected to make people aware of it, but to CYA about an issue that isn’t the purpose of the article is silly and should not be expected. I guess if I ever get hurt in the shop I will just have to Google an image of someone improperly using a tool and blame them, again silly.

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- Brandon West August 9, 2012 9:44 am
  
  Maybe in the future FWW and others should just take these photos with the machines off and just call them alignment photos. Again silly for them to have to adjust what they do because of potential lawsuits.
  
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James N. August 9, 2012 9:50 am

In the case of safety I really get tired of the safety police, grammar police, etc. Do us all a favor – keep your high and mighty opinion to yourself. If I want to know how to make a safe cut I can google it.

As for FWW’s response, can you blame them? It was only a few months ago that Asa had to spend a lot of time apologizing to the entire Internet community due to the exact same type of over reaction. They are constantly under a microscope and still manage to produce one of the most inspiring publications across the board. I am greatful for all WW’ing content. FWW, PWW, and Marc could show every cross cut just as the picture above and I would not complain one bit. I hope they all keep up the amazing work!

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Mike O’Brien August 9, 2012 10:25 am

Marc,
For starters in grammar, remember that a preposition is a word you should never end a sentence with. That pearl having been said , I agree with your blog today. There are also some woodworking shows where safe methods are eschewed with my favorite being ripping a board on a table saw with the right hand straddled over the rip fence pushing the board with fingers precariously inches away from an Emergency Room visit or worse. On Scott Phillips’ show, he is religious about stressing shop safety, but he will note when, for demonstration purposes , a guard etc has been removed. If you really want to pucker your sphincters and cover your eyes just watch some of these HGTV home renovation shows and watch the supposed carpenters rip a board without YIKES! a fence; and more often than not, a lack of hearing, eye protection etc too.Pneumatic nail guns come to mind.
So I believe the WW mags deserve a bit of artistic slack because no one wants to see you or David Marks looking like Darth Vader while using a bandsaw or doing marquetry.

Best to you, Mike O’Brien

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- Chris H August 9, 2012 11:17 am
  
  My personal favorite on the HGTV/DIY is the crasher shows. The, “Professional” is constantly ripping wood across a portable table saw, usually sitting on the grass or some other uneven surface, and pushing thin cut boards through without any guards or push sticks. I hold my breath everytime, even though I know they wouldn’t air the episode with the fingers getting chopped off.
  
  Apparently they have the budget for a $10k bathtub, but can’t spring $50 for a MicroJig Gripper.
  
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Brian Brazil August 9, 2012 10:37 am

The FWW staff talked about this on their podcast a couple weeks ago, too. My initial thought on it was: “how much should they idealize safety and how much should they represent what the author really does?” On one hand, you don’t want to show dangerous techniques to newcomers; on the other hand, are you misrepresenting the way people really work by tossing on all the safety gear for the camera?

The most important part of safety can’t be shown in a picture, anyway. Being mindful of where your hands and body are in relation to dangerous things like spinning blades is the most important part of safety. Truth be told, most of the time I just wear safety glasses. If I’m using the planer or router table, I might toss on some hearing protection. I have to wear long sleeves in the winter and I probably put my hands too close to the blade at times. But every time I approach a machine, I think about where my hands and body are going to be and where they would be if the wood were to kick back. I think about how I’m going to execute the cut and walk through complex cuts.

No wonder I’ve been leaning more toward hand tool work recently: working with machines requires too much thinking!

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Joe Dillon August 9, 2012 11:06 am

Oh dear, do you mean to tell me some sad sac has takin the time and energy to point out the H&S deficiencies in that photo and failed to include 3 paragraphs on that dudes moustache. I mean that thing is awesome he doesn’t need safety glasses or dust protection as I’m sure that monster catches everything that even remotely threatens its host. Awesome man.
On a more serious note, a minor.
No seriously, promoting woodcraft is these magazines business and livelihood they have a Moral and legal responsibility to its subscribers to promote safe working practices.
Offering apologies to readers is the only real recourse open to them when they fail to promote safe working practices, so cut them so slack.
As for gramma, fashion, H&S and political correction police well they are unavoidable in all walks of life. As my momma once told me those that can do. Those that can’t talk and when they do it’s usually rubbish. Or was it my granny I can’t remember.
On the other hand you have four fingers and one thumb, or u should have if u follow proper working practices.
Safety should always be considered in every action you undertake.
Ive been Joe thanx for listening and I will discuss the merits of mayo as soon as I’ve found at least one
Regards
Joe the joiner

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Matthew August 9, 2012 11:07 am

I’m with you Marc, we seem to have lost our common sense and are now complacent in how we approach not only our time in the shop but also everyday life. I dont need to worry about it cause someone else should have already done it that for me. It’s no surprise anymore that when someone gets injured its not their fault it’s the manufacturer, the tv show host, the magazine editor etc. We don’t really ever stop and think for ourselves…”hmmm is this practice safe, Maybe I should do it a different way”.

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Dale W. August 9, 2012 11:20 am

People do things that are not safe everyday, for example, on a cell phone while driving. I see that everyday. In Woodworking if you don’t wear PPE you only put yourself at risk.

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Bob August 9, 2012 11:29 am

Personally, I don’t think that magazine or video producers are responsible to educate customers/users about safety rule and practices. I believe that we are responsible for our own safety. Working in the shop, driving the car, kids around the pool and so on. It’s our responsibility to teach our kids too.

Marc, I wonder if there is a “Woodworker Safety Association” which may regroup, magazine and video producer, pros. and hobbyist. I know there is a few standardized safety logos or icons, i.e., for safety goggles, mask etc. These could be added onto magazine pictures, or videos, ect.

Being a beginner in woodworking, I learned a lot watching WW video and others. I learned about technics and also safety practices using the tools.

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Skip August 9, 2012 12:13 pm

When I look at a magazine cover it should bring me in and strike a cord to look inside. If this was a story on PPE then by all means it should show it.
It should be our personal responsibility to use safety equipment. If it is mandated by your employer then you better use it of face the consequences of not following policy. If you are demonstrating/teaching someone use the PPE. Bottom line common sense should be used.

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Dave August 9, 2012 1:37 pm

I’m in total agreement with you Marc.

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Greg F August 9, 2012 2:52 pm

I agree. As Marc wrote, “…we should indeed cut content-producers a little slack.”

I believe FWW publishes a product worthy of my attention as an amateur woodworker. I also believe they are very conscious of the contents of any photographs in FWW. In the February 2004 issue of FWW, they published a digitally corrected photograph in an article by Garrett Hack. The correction allowed a missing fingertip to regrow on his left middle finger. I never would have noticed, but someone in the FWW Knots Community pointed it out.

It is nice to see most commenters here agree that our personal safety is our own responsibility.

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Trevor Hillman August 9, 2012 3:00 pm

Marc,
I found that same article to be somewhat ridiculous. Most of the photographing is “staged”, I find it difficult to believe that everyone else’s shops are always so clean and organized. Granted, I am striving for better organization myself, but really no dust anywhere? The staged photographs are just that, it is different than what actually happens. I would have to agree that it is the individual’s responsibility to maintain safe practices. I know that I have seen other photographs where all PPE is not being used, where was the uproar then?

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Sam August 9, 2012 3:00 pm

I think we are all big boys and when we got into this hobby/trade we knew what we were getting into. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that our tools are razor sharp so I have to agree with Marc on this one. Watch any woodworking shows and you will see the same setup that was on the cover of FWW. The other day I was watching an episode of ask this old house where Tom Silva was cutting a floor board with a circular saw freehand while holding the board in the air with his left hand! Where was the backlash for that one?

What the woodworking magazines should consider is to devote a section (whether online or in the magazine itself) for the young people joining our craft. Especially now since they are getting less exposure in school these days. That way we can nurture the good habits from the start as well as get them excited about woodworking. And by the way not to be a brown nose but this is where Marc, Matt and the rest of the community excel in. They always talk about safety and they show the good as well as the bad – ahem Matt with a router :)

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Mark Boyles August 9, 2012 3:28 pm

PPE practices are a personal choice in your own shop period…end of story! FWW is not providing a publication with content explaining OSHA compliance, workplace safety or power tools for dummies. It instead provides us with good, common sense entertainment, information and resources pertaining to our hobby which is why most of us subscribe. While they should point out good practices, we still must be accountable for our own actions.

What I cant really fathom, is the insatiable need of those “police people” to protect the rest of us from such negligence by issuing a public “verbal thrashing” in an effort to blackmail someone like FWW to comply with their point of view. (We are the Borg)

Most of us who are not out to save the world or protect the innocent never have the desire to sit down, take time out of lives and formulate a strongly worded letter to the editor because we know that “time” could be better spent making sawdust in our shops!

Good subject Marc! Many good points made by the group.

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Corrie August 9, 2012 3:37 pm

Safety is up to the person himself. I use all safety gear and often I use none – depends on the task. I am 54 and still got all my fingers, ears and eyes – intact. Nearly all of the few small scars I have were form hand-tool slips like screwdriver.

There is also another point of view. People often wear safety gear and expect they are armour protected. I have seen people cutting their fingers of because of protective gloves. Guess there is a kind of recklessness when people are geared up.

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Jesse August 9, 2012 3:39 pm

I’m secretly hoping the next issue features a guy decked out in chain mail, iron gloves and a a nasa space helmet.

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ron howes August 9, 2012 3:50 pm

How many times have you heard, “table saw blade guard removed for photographic clarity.”? Right…

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Brian August 9, 2012 4:21 pm

I work in a shop of about 10 guys. Most guys would not use anything if we weren’t required (some still don’t). Myself, I use quite a few because I would like to take care of my body and hopefully have a long career in woodworking. I think using PPE will help prolong it.

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Richard Kresge August 9, 2012 4:21 pm

I try to keep everything as simple as possible, i know there are shades or grey any aspect of life and woodworking is no different but it really comes down ultimately on the person doing the work. When i was in the military we use to have Risk assessments even for the most simplest things we did. I actually use this in my woodworking now to keep myself in check. Does the Risk out way the rewards and 99% of the time in woodworking its not. I would say use common sense but honestly how many people have that. Plan and simple no one is reliable for the actions a person takes in the shop except that person and in my opinion if you’re getting your info off a paid magazine I would expect no less then them giving some type of warning while doing particular cut but with something as simple as PPE it should be expected unless the woodworker is new and even then you’d think dust flying around and loud noises would give you a hint. I agree with you completely Marc!

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Jim D. August 9, 2012 4:24 pm

I am surprised by how many people take offense at the possibility of someone showing safe practices. Yes, I find the police tiresome. But, how are people expected to learn if someone doesn’t explain and/or demonstrate. Also, how is someone supposed to know what they don’t know. I had no clue about table saw kickback until I read an article about it. I found the article on the FWW website. Had someone not taken the time to write this article I may never have learned this. We look to our experts to teach us how to build a table or make the perfect dovetail joint. Why not teach us safety as well. Everyone keeps talking about common sense. Well, if common sense was all it took we probably would never need to teach our children about receiving burns from fire. That’s common sense after all.

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Scott August 9, 2012 4:34 pm

I read the content in articles for the content and never look at the image to see if there are any errors in safety, setup, technique or otherwise, I have better things to do. It’s up to the person in the image to ensure personal protective equipment is in place.

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Harry Borden August 9, 2012 4:43 pm

Did all this start at the McDonalds that morning when the poor poor lady spilt her coffee? I mean really give me a break……. coffee is hot!! But NO some court and jury awarded her a lot of money because SHE spilt her coffee.. It is always someone else’s fault.. Sorry I went off for a minute. I bought a SawStop years ago. I was shopping for a new table saw to replace my old one. While doing my research of finding the saw I wanted my uncle had a bad accident with his Delta table saw. He lost his middle finger, part of his ring finger and thumb. Was it the saws fault? Heck no it was his!! All that is happening with these lawsuits is just a bunch of bull poop. Anyway I got the SawStop because I am allergic to pain. I love all of the Festool products because of the great dust collection. I try to be as safe as I can but sometimes poop happens, and when it does it is MY OWN fault. Mark you do a fantastic job with your videos, safety and all. Sorry for the rant but all of these lawsuits really just P$$$ me off.

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Don C. August 9, 2012 4:49 pm

I think that those that are putting out content have a responsibility to promote safety, but not to the exclusion of everything else. Mike Rowe put it best in his “Safety Third” video. It is possible to get so focused on the safety aspect that it becomes cumbersome to actually accomplish something. Whoever wrote the letter is probably the same guy in the HOA that is worried about what everyone else in the neighborhood is doing.

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Dwain August 9, 2012 4:55 pm

Let’s get down to the root of the issue. If you think you can work around loud machinery all day without hearing protection and expect no long term effects, you are an idiot. Young or old that is easy to understand. When can we finally decide that we need to take care of OURSELVES. I’m suprised someone didn’t write in castigating the mag for not using a sawstop…well…maybe someone did.

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Stan P August 9, 2012 5:29 pm

This certainly generated a lot of comments that I haven’t even had a chance to read yet, but will. I thought the comment in the magazine was stupid. Yes, hearing protection is important, as is eye protection, and all the other protections. Who knows, maybe he was wearing ear plugs when they took the picture or maybe he wasn’t. Come on people, this was a cover photo. People need to take responsibility for themselves. You know what your working conditions are and if you can’t figure out when you need hearing or eye protection or lung protection, or whatever protection, then perhaps you shouldn’t be practicing woodworking as a hobby or a business.

And Marc, your industrial biotech background is coming through with PPE, which was good for many a training sessions.

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Shawn August 9, 2012 5:30 pm

It all boils down to common sense, if it doesn’t feel safe don’t do it or find another way. And another thing, if there weren’t so many lawyers we wouldn’t need one.

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Dan Drabek August 9, 2012 9:54 pm

Maybe Alan Turner didn’t want to wear hearing protection. He’s a big boy.

DD

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james August 9, 2012 10:46 pm

purchase some “good looking” PPE, its a win-win!, wearing PPE makes you look professional and like you know what you are doing,not to mention most of it is comfortable to wear, like earmuffs, and as a bonus you’re looking after yourself, no-one wants to be deaf and wearing hearing aids for the rest of their lives, or blind or dead from lung cancer………right? good on ya, Marc!

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Rich Dickeson August 10, 2012 5:26 am

I agree with Don C. and Mike Rowe with Safety Third. I have worked around equipment that could tear me to shreds since I was 18. Before OSHA, before safety equipment and was taught to think and observe. I also worked with someone missing 2 fingers doing the same kind of machine shop work I was doing and it ALWAYS made me think about what I was going to turn on and how it was held or chucked in place.
I also learned that when I was tried, to stop working. When I was distracted, not to start something. When the phone rang, not to answer it, but to stay focused.

If someone else is looking out for my safety and I get TOO comfortable with that, I believe that is when I begin to loose focus and get careless.

But I also don’t do dumb things. I don’t inhale fumes that will hurt me, but wear protection when it makes sense. But it is still ALWAYS my decision.

I also listen to the still small voice of God inside of me.. and when He tells me something is not right, I listen and don’t force it. That has kept me safe and will continue to keep me safe.
Rich

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David Haniquet August 10, 2012 6:05 am

Do you jump into water if you don’t know how to swim?……………do you jump off of a building if you don’t know how to fly? Ok maybe………if you are a child and don;t know any better, but even most toddlers instinctively know better . If you don’t know that power tools can be dangerous if not used properly, time to hang up the apron…………….It is each persons prerogative to use or not use safety equipment…………This is what makes us American.

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bob August 10, 2012 6:54 am

Four letters, OSHA being safe is one thing being the gestapo is another. Over regulation is as bad as no regulations because people tend to Reilly on being watched over. We are born with the ability to perceive danger. I myself have had a serious accident and have no one to blame but me, accountability for ones own actions seems to never be mentioned in safety articles .

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MikeM August 10, 2012 7:57 am

I agree, safety is solely my responsibility in my shop. It is my job to read the instructions that come with my tools and to understand the risks of using each and every tool in my shop. If I choose to not use a piece of safety equipment, for whatever reason, it is MY responsibility. If I get injured as a result, it is MY fault.

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Michael August 10, 2012 9:07 am

It is truely a personal thing. Personally I believe that if you use all the safety features then there is a tendency to become complaicent – that’s when real injuries happen. But there are people out there that are plain dangerous and they need help and guidance. That’s why ladders have details instuctions and contents may be hot!

Unfortunately common sense is not that comon.
Listen to that still small voice – if the action you are about to do – does not ‘feel’ safe don’t do it.

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Allen Fisher August 10, 2012 9:17 am

My feelings on safety and PPE mirror yours, but in my work life, as a Lab Manager, I am charged with being the Safety Nazi – this is not a part of my job description that I enjoy, though working with a good number of young engineers who have not had as much hands on training we find it important to be vigilant.

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Michael August 10, 2012 9:24 am

Allen, I totally agree – and as a Security Officer for a company I totally understand the need for rules and regulations. That’s why we long for the weekends :-)

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bob August 10, 2012 9:29 am

“That’s why ladders have details instructions and contents may be hot!” I agree to a point but the law needs to step back in some of these matters and place the blame where it truly belongs and that’s the individual.

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Lanny Penwell August 10, 2012 9:37 am

Live free or die.

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BigStick August 10, 2012 9:45 am

It’s amazing that the magazine that promotes hand tools get criticized for a picture of a power tool. This country is so over regulated with rules, the real terror is not over seas its in our back yard. You just can’t change stupid, but you can try to make some one else pay for your stupidity. Thank god we built this country with much less and did it with great effort and skills.

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- bob August 10, 2012 9:57 am
  
  There you go!
  
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Michael August 10, 2012 10:01 am

that’s what happens when a country is run by lawyers.

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- bob August 10, 2012 10:24 am
  
  Before I even posted that was what I was thinking.
  
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Michael August 10, 2012 10:38 am

Great Minds!

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Greg August 10, 2012 10:47 am

I keep in mind that there are new woodworkers coming on board all of the time, so I feel a friendly reminder is always great. I enjoy safety week and continually learn. There is a saying, “there cannot be enough safety.” I do not feel it is my responsibility to notify magazines of issues of safety. They have been around a long time and if they are willing to accept the liability then they know or should have known (as disclosed by the wood police civil litigation).
I always think of safety instruction as a warninig; however, if you do not adhere to the instruction then the end result is yours.
Safety may be compared as abusing drugs. Our society can continually disclose the results of drug/alcohol abuse, but if you still want to get involved then the results and rehabilitation should be at the expense and consequences of the user.

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- bob August 10, 2012 11:27 am
  
  I totally agree. Its time that the people that do the right thing stop paying for those that don’t.
  
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Cal August 10, 2012 11:22 am

What seems often to be lost in these knee-jerk criticisms is a lack of understanding of the basic risk. In this case, hearing loss risk is three-dimensional. Those risk factors are intensity (volume), duration, and frequency. I know that in my own case I wear almost always hearing protection for certain tools that are exceptionally loud: planer, jointer, and (sadly) random orbital sander. My table saw falls somewhere in the mid-range as far as decibel level is concerned, and my dust collector is housed in an enclosed space for exactly this reason.

Therefore, if I were making this 30-second cut (the duration factor) on a cross-cut sled on my table saw, I would wear eye protection, but I probably wouldn’t wear hearing protection or dust protection. On the other hand, if I’m going to be spending fifteen minutes breaking down sheet goods or ripping solid lumber, my head is going to be encased in protective gear of all sorts.

Eye protection provides a counterpoint to hearing protection and dust protection in that the safety risk is not diminished by duration; therefore, it is always de rigeur.

The difference is whether the risk is acute/immediate or chronic/cumulative. Protecting your eyes and keeping clothing and body parts away from moving parts are the former. Hearing and dust protection are the latter.

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- bob August 10, 2012 11:30 am
  
  All though that is true Cal its a chance to begin or break a habit.
  
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Tom Collins August 10, 2012 12:18 pm

I totally agree with you. I am getting sick and tired of super polite apologetic responses like the one Fine Woodworking gave. They should have just said that often photos in their magazine do not include PPE for clarity and aesthetic reasons

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CessnapilotBarry August 10, 2012 5:24 pm

Put me in the “personal” camp, no apology from FWW necessary.

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TexasTed August 11, 2012 7:32 am

Too many woodworkers have found out, after the fact, that PPE would have saved eyesight and hearing, and prevented unsightly scars. I have to wonder if those woodworkers became PPE advocates or not, after the fact?

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Ralph August 11, 2012 8:39 am

I’ve not read all the replies so this may have already been coverd. The cover photo on the magazine is from a photo shoot, it was staged to show off the sled not PPE. Now IF the photo was a capture from a video of him making the cut, that is another thing. If the person who wrote in could have seen this man’s shoes he probably would have complained that they were not steel toe work boots. Or (going on the apparent age of the “model”) they would complain that he is wearing pants with cuffs that could catch a hot ember while sharpening a drill bit.

Magazines, “teaching/instructional/show and tell” websites etc all have to play the liability game. You hear the disclaimers a lot, safety guards have been removed for clarity, never disable your equipments safety features. It is because some maroon will see something and assume they can do it as they saw it and then sue because they have lost their hearing or a finger etc etc.

I was an aircraft crew chief in the Air Force many moons ago. They beat safety into our heads on a daily basis. But there were times when some things were done way outside the lines in the name of mission readiness. I still remember the day a supervisor pushed me out of the way and removed a liquid oxygen converter without any PPE as we were about to lose an aircraft sortie. Anytime I was on the flightline side of the offices in our hanger I was wearing my hearing protection. I love jet noise but it hates ears. Even with protection and sometimes that was plugs and earmuffs, I am nearing hearing aide time. It happens!

Sadly too many are sue happy! If I remove a safety feature and get hurt, my bad. It is no ones fault but my own. But there are some that would sue because they should have made the safety feature so that it could not be removed.

Well, I am off to remove the tags from my mattress. Have a great and safe day!

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Tim W August 11, 2012 9:54 am

The short and long of it is this, it is your responsibility to make your own wise choices. If I see that cover that doesn’t make me think “Hey, if he’s not using it why should I?”. I think that this day in age people are just looking for an excuse to point fingers. There is no sense of personal accountability for your own actions any more.

I have been reading these magazines for years and I can’t think of a time where the safety of a cut wasn’t stressed by the author. If you choose not to use a guard, push stick, goggles or hearing protection that is your choice. Nobody is twisting your arm, so if something happens it is you that lives with it. And besides, every tool comes with a manual, typically, and the first page does nothing but tell you what not to do with that tool.

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Chris M August 11, 2012 10:57 am

I firmly believe that everyone has a right to choose their own level of risk in life. I also believe publications have a responsibility to encourage safe practices in woodworking and I appreciate the publishers that are diligent in this regard. I am more likely to continue my subscription to those magazines…and they are the ones I will encourage my children to read. Each reader has a right to complain (the editors encourage the feedback) and the publisher has the right to ignore them. I don’t see a problem.

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S.Wellington August 12, 2012 4:21 pm

Wow, This topic kicked up a firestorm :) I agree that safety is a personal issue, Like others, I don’t use the pawls on my table saw, or use a mask all the time. Mostly when sanding. I use the ear protection when I think it’s needed like with my planer. Common sense seems to be a common thread in safety. I don’t think too many people will take their mask or face shield off because the guy on Fine woodworking doesn’t use them. I recently have been watching videos on YouTube about bowls on the lathe. Every once in a while I would get a video where the guy or gal would spend an extra 5 min on wearing the correct safety stuff. I would try and fast forward to get to the good stuff. To each his own. If a person gets dinged, it’s usually because he wasn’t paying attention! Being slow and methodical can be as important as all the safety gear we wear!

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Andrew Nencheck August 12, 2012 6:26 pm

Never considered using ear protection on a table saw cut. Router –planer and joiner yes but never thought I needed it for table saws. 30 years of working with wood and still can hear good.

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David Jenkins August 13, 2012 7:30 am

I am new to wood working and a lot of what I am learning comes from web sites and magazines. I am 30 years old but still consider myself very impressionable by what I see around me – luckily watching Marcs videos has taught me to use ear defenders, respirators and glasses. However, knowing me if I had seen that picture / article first then I probably would be without them!

I learnt the hard way about kick back at the table saw and now using the riving knife and blocks so i dont trap the wood against the blade – my bruised stomach thanks me for it now!

Overall I agree, its totally down to the user at the end of the day – we’re all adults here! some younger than others ;-)

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Kevin Fermenick August 13, 2012 12:00 pm

When I read Marc’s article, I groaned. Safety is everyone’s responsibility; meaning YOU! My personal two cents on the saw blade stop legislation, for example, is that we don’t need it. Simply keep your fingers out of the blade and you will stay okay. Then do what you need to do to keep them out the blade. Period. Paying attention is often enough.

As to the FWW article. I have that issue and noticed the safety equipment displayed in photos as lacking uniformity. For example, the chairmaking article on p. 64 has the woodworker wearing ear plugs and over the glasses, safety glasses, while using a router, at the top of p. 67. Yet on p. 68, while using a band saw, he is wearing neither. The rust remover guy, p. 30 is wearing rubber gloves but no eye protection. The sanding sealer guy, p. 48 is wearing no gloves, but wears those Subway sandwich shop clear gloves on pp. 50-51. I could go on, but you get the point.

I guess you could say there is a lack of consistency. So bashing the crosscut sled guy is a bit unfair (at least he rolled up his sleeves a bit ;-). I can appreciate the comments from the impressionable younger woodworkers, but just because we are not steel fabricators does not mean our hobby/profession is without risk. Some accept more risk than others. Some know the risk and compensate. Others are careless and lucky. Then there are the careless and unlucky. It is everyone’s duty to learn the risk. Just because someone makes it look easy doesn’t make it easy. You can’t blame someone else for your short circuiting your knowledge curve.

One last point. Perhaps every article in every magazine and on every video and TV show, could have a universal disclaimer such as required by California that would read something along the line of “In accordance with Proposition 68 everything you do in life has risk and hazards. Breathe at your own risk.”

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bob August 13, 2012 1:09 pm

By observation everyone here knows what to do to prevent accidents. “So why is it that 35,000 injuries that involve table saws in an average year works out to $57,000 per injury. ” (quote from FWW Feb 12, 2011)

People don’t listen and people do not want to be told what to do. So those woundering where this regulation attempt is coming from read the following and see that they say The regulation is for.

OSHA wants more control I know this first hand from dealing with them for 20 years.

CPSC states that existing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations on table saw safety do not adequately protect consumers, because they are directed to saw use in a professional woodworking environment.
“Professional woodworkers are more likely to have had training and to be experienced in performing any special or complex operations with the saw and are more likely to recognize situations and set-ups that may be dangerous or require extra care and caution,” states CPSC’s notice. “Amateur woodworkers generally have little or no safety training, nor training in the proper use of the table saw.”

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- bob August 13, 2012 1:17 pm
  
  By the way I used a table saw for 11 years before making my index finger 1/4″ smaller and had countless hours of safety traing and it was my choice to not use a push stick (wish I did now). So my answer is “S&!t Happens” deal with it and don’t blame anyone but yourself. BUT! If it was due to faulty equipment or missing guards and your choice is “use it or be fired” and you are injured. Then yes sew the boss (.)
  
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Callum August 15, 2012 6:12 am

Generally speaking, ‘common sense’ is just a disguise for experience. Train the inexperienced in the safest way to accomplish a task, and then let them make their own choice – – it’s how we innovate.

Then we should require all lawyers, judges, and jurors to be weekend woodworkers, loggers, or maybe just coffee drinkers…?

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Kurt Thompson August 15, 2012 10:41 am

I 100% agree with you Marc. I think FWW magazine does a good job of balancing the needs of making an attractive cover with safety and clarity of what they are trying to explain. I often see references to appropriate safety equipment and don’t think they need to change.

Most of the time I hear people complain about not using a particular type of safety gear or safe practice it is because they say it slows them down. For me this is just a hobby I do for fun, so it doesn’t matter whether a project takes 2 days or 2 weeks. It might take me twice as long as a friend to rip some boards because I carefully adjust my riving knife while he just removes it, but I don’t see that as time wasted. If I’m having fun in the shop and I come out with all 10 fingers, I’m happy. It doesn’t matter how fast I complete projects – there’s always another one waiting for me no matter how fast I complete them.

For a professional it makes sense that they need to weight the risks of skipping safety with the reward of completing projects quickly enough to make a profit. For hobbyists, I see no downside in spending more effort on safety.

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Kim Duffy August 16, 2012 5:36 pm

I think that in the shop or out in the world, people just need to learn to stop blaming everyone else for their mistakes. I’m so sick of the government regulation on companies to make their products safer and pander to stupidity. It’s great that people have come up with technologies like SawStop, but at the end of the day, making fancy features required just puts hobbies like woodworking farther and farther out of reach of the average person. It’s already daunting to calculate the expense of amassing the collection of tools needed to be a hobbyist, let alone a professional. More bureaucracy just means that woodworking may be a lost art one day and we’ll all be relegated to garbage like Ikea.

I’m sorry you have to be so PC about this, Mark.

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- John Verreault (aka JohnnyVee) August 20, 2012 11:45 am
  
  I agree with Kim, especially about the PC part. This has been taken to a level that I, unfortunately, see at my workplace all too often were bureaucracy reigns. Going overboard with any topic be it safety, power-tool vs hand tool only, VOCs vs no VOCs or anything else just takes time away from what we really want to be doing–woodworking. ‘Nough said.
  
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Alex August 17, 2012 11:01 am

Always practice like you play. While it is fine to do whatever you want in your own shop, if you are instructing others or giving them a demonstration then you have an obligation to teach the best practices. If step one of the demonstration is always safety, then when a student goes out to the shop step one will still be safety. If someone ignores it then that is on them, but if you teach, you have an obligation to teach the best practices.

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Doug August 18, 2012 9:24 am

I used to do commercial photography for a “woodworking” magazine and the art director always made sure we adhered to safety. Even when we had no tools running, we were careful to show the shot as you would be doing it, so making sure ear/eye protection, no rings, short sleeve shirts, etc. With that being said, I think most of us would realize what we would do in that situation, and even if someone was unsafe that wouldn’t make us unsafe. However, there might be a few “newbies” out there that might not realize it, I don’t know, our society sure has become dumb-down lately, and everyone is looking for an excuse to sue or complain. I could see it now, lawsuit: “The cover of your magazine didn’t show hearing protection and I went deaf making that project so I want a million dollars”. UGH. Anyhow, keep up the great work, and worry less about “those” people.

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Shannon August 19, 2012 8:20 am

I agree with Marc, besides if everyone focused so much so on any one photogragh in a magazine it wouldn’t be possible to get through the magazine without that affecting your judgement of what’s in the magazine. If something in a picture affects you that so much to spur you to write an email to the creators, you should learn another safety practice, put it down and walk away from it, leave it alone.

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Jared August 19, 2012 9:18 am

I side with Mark. What are you going to do if you get seriously injured while not wearing safety equipment? Sue a magazine stating that as your source of stupidity? Brings up a great annoyance I have with people in general on self responsibility. No one is responsible for your lost limbs or such except for you. Requiring companies to compensate for every mistake/accident someone has made is just silly. No need for Safety/Grammer/PC Police (aka Trolls) in this world.

lol though McDonald’s was sued over hot coffee…

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jHop August 19, 2012 8:33 pm

One thing I would really like to see, and I don’t know how soon content providers can come up with this, is the Point of View shot. Not just from over the shoulder, or one from a camera duct taped to some guy’s hat, but an actual shot from the “eye position” of whoever is doing the work. Obviously, this would mean some staging, simply due to the logistics of getting a professional grade camera into the place where some human eye should be, while someone else has their hands clearly visible in the shot.

(It would not be used on every photo montage, nor in every video, but in an instance where someone needs to see how it might look when you have aligned everything and are in the middle of the process, that would be the most effective use of this. In many ways, it’s like the flying camera in the NFL. Sure, you want to see more from it, but staring at the top of some guy’s head constantly gets pretty boring.)

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S Watson August 22, 2012 8:14 am

Much like Cosmo, I heard they airbrushed it! My cousins friend heard from the girlfriend of the cameras mans ex-wife that he did have on noise canceling headphones! Yeah, but the wasn’t sexy enough so they airbrushed Brad Pitts ears onto the poor sap!

Can you imagine how self conscious he must feel about his ears now! Gosh!

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Sarit September 16, 2012 11:30 pm

I think whenever you take on the role of an educator, it’s your moral obligation to ensure that you are not promoting unsafe working practices. It doesn’t really matter whose responsibility it is when someone gets injured. Your moral obligation is your moral obligation, Period.

If you see an injured child in the street, your morals tell you that you need to go help that child, right? The fact that the child is some other person’s responsibility is irrelevant.

I think its especially bad when media removes safety devices for “photographic” purposes. People follow what they see more than what they hear or read. The reality is that they rarely put the devices back on when they are not filming/shooting. To me this sounds more like “I don’t use these devices and I don’t feeling like putting them back on for a few photos so I’ll say I left it off for photographic reasons.”

PPE is personal only in personal settings. Once its on public display, it becomes instructional, whether a comment is made about it or not.

On a final note, I think most of us share what we share not purely for monetary gain, but because we really want to contribute something meaningful to the woodworking community. So if for some reason I find out that I had contributed to an injury of another woodworker (even indirectly) then I would be pretty bummed about it. That’s why I would hold myself to higher safety standards when deciding to share.

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