Woodworking injuries: an epidemiologic survey of injuries sustained using woodworking machinery and hand tools

Woodworking equipment produces approximately 720,000 injuries per year often causing severe psychologic and functional impairment. Responses from 1000 injured woodworkers to a demographic survey revealed that 60.5% of injuries occurred to amateur woodworkers; 42% of injuries were caused by the table saw and 37% of respondents reported amputation of one or more digits. The most significant causal factor reported was failure to use properly installed guards, but personal factors, such as fatigue and postprandial somnolence were also implicated. Twenty-seven percent of respondents required hospitalization for an average of 3.7 days, and 22.8% were treated by hand surgeons. Hand surgeons need to become more aware of the dangers of specific types of woodworking equipment and the injuries produced by these tools to better treat and perhaps, prevent woodworking injuries.