Your Woodworking shed or workshop

Working alone in a home-based woodworking shed or a small industrial woodshop that you rent or own carries a few risks. Aside from the location of your workshop (which could be out of town) and the potentially hazardous nature of some of your equipment, have you ever considered what could go wrong and what you would do if it did?   If something serious happened to you one day and you needed urgent transport to a hospital, are you confident that you have this situation covered?

Consider creating a risk assessment; this way, you’ll work out all of the control measures that need to be implemented in order to minimise, and hopefully eliminate, all of the risks associated with you working alone in a workshop with a variety of tools and equipment that can cause serious harm, as well as if you become ill unexpectedly.

Aside from health and safety concerns, you should consider the security implications of having thousands of dollars in tools and equipment conveniently housed in a single location that is only occupied for about 9 hours per day.

You’ll be surprised at how many things come to mind; even if the likelihood of something happening is low and the impact of it happening is minor, it’s still worthwhile to record all of this information.

Below are a few things you might consider.

What methods of external communication are available in the workshop? Mobile phones, landlines, CB radio, 2-way radio, and so on.   You might consider wearing a bluetooth earpiece or headset?

What if you sustain a serious injury but are unable to contact emergency services? Have you thought about starting up a health-checking routine with a friend or family member? Someone who could call in during the day to make sure you’re okay?

Do you have an emergency system in place with emergency push buttons strategically placed around your workshop that you could use in an emergency?

It should be loud enough to warn your neighbours (whether residential or industrial) that there is a serious problem. You should also perform a brief test on this alarm for a few seconds at a specific time on a specific day of the week, say 9 a.m. every Friday, and provide them with a letter explaining that this is something you will always do (except on days when you are not working) and that you would never perform a test at any other time. This assures your neighbours that if they hear the alarm sounding outside of 9 a.m. Friday, an emergency situation is occurring with you.

Do you have any smoke detectors, fire alarms, or fire extinguishers? Perhaps you’ve spent big on an automated fire alarm system? Do you have an adequate supply of fire extinguishers of the appropriate size and type? What about fire blankets?  One of the best ways to make sure you are covered in this area is to get a Fire Safety and Audit Inspection done.

How secure is your workshop?   What safeguards have you put in place in case someone or a group of people decides to steal all of your possessions one night? It would be heartbreaking to arrive at your workshop in the morning to find that thousands of dollars’ worth of tools and equipment has gone missing. Sure, you’ll have insurance, but instead of putting your trust in an insurance company doing the right thing by you, invest time and money into making your premises extremely secure.   For instance, do all of your workshop’s doors and windows have adequate locking and integrity? Are they strong enough to withstand an intruder? Are you able to make them more secure?

Are you sure you have all the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the work you do?

Are you physically fit for work? Do you know if you have any underlying medical issues? Do you visit your doctor on an annual or bi-annual basis? An undiagnosed health condition could strike you at work one day and put you in grave danger.

With regards to First Aid Supplies and Training, do you have an adequate supply of fully stocked first-aid kits? Do you have any first-aid training or prior practical experience?   It’s one thing to keep a few well-stocked first aid kits in your workshop, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up putting yourself in danger one day when you need to act quickly and accurately.