Safety is a learned behavior – Woodworking

Safety is a learned behavior.  Someone who approaches a problem with a negative attitude most likely will not solve the problem easily.  Approaching safety standards is the same way.  If you accept the fact that an incident can happen and then take the necessary precautions, you are minimizing the opportunity for injury.  Learning how to address these issues is not difficult but acknowledging you can suffer consequences is not easy.  Woodworking tools, mechanical or manual, don’t differentiate between experience or novice.  A mature, experienced woodworker will admit an incident can happen under certain conditions regardless of who is performing the task.   Learning you are not exempt from injuries is the first step to safe woodworking.  How you behave with this knowledge dictates your safe work habits.  Taking time to look at your surroundings and recognizing the potential areas is necessary to maintain a safe work environment.  With experience you learn what hazards exist in specific tasks and how to eliminate them.  As your craftsmanship increases so will your safety because it too is a learned behavior.

Enjoy your shop time!

Jerill

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About Jerill Vance

I was born and raised in West Virginia where I learned carpentry skills at an early age by assisting my grandfather and father. In 2009, after more than 32 years in the chemical industry, I left and enrolled in college. I obtained an Associate of Applied Science degree in Fine Woodworking from New River Community and Technical College in Lewisburg, WV in December of 2010. I am now able to enjoy the profession of custom designing and building furniture. I also enjoy mentoring or teaching new woodworkers.

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