# Is your workspace safe?



## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Safe? I teach my kids to use their heads.....keeping them out of the garage will not teach them how to be safe....kind of like preventing your kids from getting into the pool.....can't learn to swim unless you jump in....

My kids spend almost as much time in the garage as I do....and they still have all of their fingers and eyes...

Oh no....barefoot...










Oh no....no resperator...









Oh no....he might fall off the edge....










My little guy is not afraid to try other things as well....










Ok....all fun aside.....my garage is safe...it's outside the garage that is dangerous....but kids are not going to learn about safety if you keep them pinned up in the house.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

My Dad was a cabinet maker for a good portion of his life but set it aside when I came along. But for the early years of my life he had a Norm Abrams type shop in our garage though with all kinds of power tools. Growing up I don't remember a car parked in the garage anywhere we lived. There was always some project better deserving of the space. And Mom, who could be a you know what, respected the territorial boundaries to a point. It could have been Al Bundy's dream place. 

I was not allowed to run and jump around the equipment but I learned about it and to respect it very early on. My Dad used to make me silly things like boards with bolts, nuts and washers and some with different screws in them. I enjoyed them as much as most toys. I had my own workbench he made me so I could hang out with him from the time I could walk. I learned about working with tools because of him and because I was not forbidden from being around. Too bad he grew into not such a nice person and distance between us was never again closed. I owe him a lot though. 

I think safety is important of course. I am amazed at how many home garages in homes with kids I walked into where semi-permanent tool chests were not yet safety strapped to the wall. Or as the OP mentioned where there were things to trip over and the places were a mess of debris, tangled cords, garden hoses and hand power tools just laying around. 

I like DDawgs swimming analogy a lot, maybe because I was a water safety instructor and lifeguard out of high school. I've never felt comfortable not living close to large bodies of water. I need the primordal ooze connection. 

Neither of my parents swam and I was notorious for running off the end of the dock when they were not looking to the point they sold a cabin that would have been nice to have now. We had life preservers on whenever on the water and I suppose to some we looked geeky. They plunked me into swim lessons early and I gained a lot of respect for water. They could have given in to their own fears and made it seem so ominous I never would go near it. In addition to swimming in it a was certified to dive deep and have a pilots license to sail on it. I even skiied on the frozen stuff. 

I think the best way to teach anybody anything completely is to keep them safe but with respect to their desire and willingness to explore and with honest disclosure of the risks. Telling a kid people do cut fingers off on table saws or parts of arms with giant radials is alright but be honest about the actual numbers and odds.


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## pacowilson (Dec 5, 2011)

Wo!, It seems your son is pretty brave.


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## greendealmanage (Nov 8, 2012)

Wow. Great, He is really brave boy.


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## Frank Rizzo 951 (Apr 28, 2013)

Obn2012_Aus said:


> I don't personally know the members of this forum, but I'm assuming that each of us has a workshop. This applies even to those who are new to DIY projects.
> 
> Though the workshop is where most of our creations are built, it is also a place where accidents, and injuries are obtained.
> 
> ...


The workshop can get messy very quickly with even the smaller scale projects I work on. I always clean as I go. I cannot stand a cluttered or dirty workspace. I know a lot of people who just work through the clutter, but that just doesn't work for me. If you clean up or organize things as you progress through your project, not only will your workspace be safer, but you will have less work to do when you're done. I also know a lot of guys who have worked in the trades for many years who refuse to wear PPE when they saw,drill, and use pneumatic tools, which in my opinion is completely asinine! It only takes one small fragment from a saw, drill or power tools to put out an eye or worse. I always wear safety glasses, gloves, long sleeves, ear plugs etc. no matter how safe the job may seem you need your eyes, hearing and appendages to work so why risk them?


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

I'm pretty strict about eyes and ears. With my son, and me, safety glasses all the way, and ear plugs when necessary. I'd love for him not to have bad tinnitus at 31 years old like I do, and getting stuff in your eyes sucks too.

An addendum, never wear gloves with power tools. I had a glove sucked up into a pneumatic tire machine when I worked at a tire shop, and almost lost the top of my finger.


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## SquishyBall (Mar 19, 2013)

Where is that camp or whatever w the kid walking across the log bridge thing? I'd love to go to that w our kids!

Some folks are very hands-off regarding kids and work -- we're not. Our oldest is 10 and he's built more than some adults. They do a project at school or in cub scouts and he knows how to hold a hammer while everyone else is figuring out what to do w it. Growing up around tools you'll be more comfortable using them throughout your life in general.

We do have to be safe... if any of our kids roughhouse in a construction area they get in big trouble... They have to be safe there and pay attention when their in that sort of area. But we don't keep them out - we want them to be interested in what we're doing and how whatever we're building is built.

It was really neat when my daughter (4) watched me sanding some door jambs just the other day... And she said something like "oh you're using that sanding thing?" "yes... sandpaper"... "yeah! We use that at school - you rub the wood so it doesn't have splinters". 



> I keep my workshop safe by clearing it regularly


Totally agree w this!


> I don't also let my kids enter the workshop


But not this.


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## rossfingal (Mar 20, 2011)

No dust mask -
No eye protection?


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

SquishyBall said:


> Where is that camp or whatever w the kid walking across the log bridge thing? I'd love to go to that w our kids!
> 
> Some folks are very hands-off regarding kids and work -- we're not. Our oldest is 10 and he's built more than some adults. They do a project at school or in cub scouts and he knows how to hold a hammer while everyone else is figuring out what to do w it. Growing up around tools you'll be more comfortable using them throughout your life in general.
> 
> ...


Bill....that is at a camp ground near Yorba Linda here in California......the zip line was a lot of fun....

A lot of it is common sense....but the reality is that common sense sometimes has to be learned....case in point...we can tell our kids all day long that fire is hot...but for some reason they really don't believe us until they get burned.....it's the good parent that lets them get burned without any damage...

I have about 4-5 pairs of safety glasses in the garage....along with a full face shield....

My oldest son regularly helps me pull wood through the table saw....but he is always on the out feed side.

Drill press...not allowed to use it without safety glasses....

My kids are in more danger from their little sister throwing sh!t at them than from anything else.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

Spray painting (particularly overhead) should be done with some type of frontal eye protection.


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## Dorado (Feb 7, 2013)

I made one of these supports for my shelves after NY City had an earthquake a few years ago. I found that leveler thing in the plumbing section but it seems perfect.


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## kimberland30 (Jan 22, 2008)

We are very safe when it comes to our projects, eye/ear protection and masks when needed. I wish he would keep his shed cleaned up though, I never wear sandals in there because I'm always tripping on something. And finding tools? Forget about it...which is why I've started buying my own. I clean up projects as I go, he makes a hot mess. 

For work, we strictly enforce safety so it's ingrained into my soul. We're going on 15 years as a large general contractor with no loss time accidents.  We've had to let good people go because of a safety violation that could have been easily prevented. This is company policy, not OSHA or the gov't catching us.


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