Hand Tool Safety
• There are many different kind of hand tools - too
many to list in this presentation
• The tools listed are ones that you will most likely
be using at Idea Charter School
• If you bring a tool from home – it needs to be
inspected and locked in the school tool cabinet
• The greatest risks in using hand tools is from:
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lack of knowledge of the tool
lack of respect for the tool being used
horseplay with tools
not aware of what is going on around you
Hand Tool Definition
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Tools that are non-powered
A tool used with workers hands
A tool that requires manual labor to work
A tool that is “powered” by an operator
An implement used by a craftsman in manual
operations
Hand Tool Care
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Keep tools clean
Give broken tools to an adult to discard or fix
Keep tools dry
Lubricate hinges and joints of tools
Keep tools organized
Do not leave tools on the floor
Keep cutting tools sharp
Do it right the first time
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Always examine tools for damages before use
Have the correct tool for the job
Measure twice – cut once
Righty Tighty
Lefty Loosy
Use clamps to hold smaller project down, do not
use your free hand or feet
• Be aware of what is going on around you
• Tools from home need to be inspected by an
advisor and locked in the school tool cabinet
Don’t
• Don’t use a tool if you do not know what it is for or how to use it
• Don’t carry tools in your pockets – use a tool box, carrying case, or
tool apron
• Don’t use tools for an electrical project unless the electricity has
been turned off
• Don’t test sharpness of cutting tools with fingers – use a piece of
paper
• Don’t try to extend leverage on a tool using a pipe – use the correct
handle size to gain more leverage
• Don’t leave tools on the ground – they are a tripping hazard
• Don’t leave tools on the workbench – they need to be put away
where they belong
• Don’t wear loose clothing, dangling jewelry while using tools
Protect Yourself and Others
• Eye protection should always be worn by
everyone working with or around tools
• Tie back long hair while working with tools
• Be aware of those around you who are not
helping you with a project, if they are close
enough to touch you they are too close
• If handing a tool (other than a cutting tool) to
someone else – hand it to them handle first
• Do not hand a cutting tool to someone else – set
in down for the other person to pick up
Use the correct tool for the job
• Tools are designed for certain jobs
• Don’t create extra work for yourself by using
the incorrect tool
• It may not happen every time, but you will
cause damage to the tool, yourself, others, or
the material you are working with if you use
the wrong tool
Hammers
• Have a head with a face and peen
• Have a handle made of fiberglass, wood or
steel that come in a variety of lengths
• Come in different weights – weight is referring
to the head not the overall weight of the tool
• Most common types of hammers:
• Claw
• Ball Peen
• Club
Claw Hammer
• Most often used hammer
• Designed for working with wood
• The face is used to drive in nails and can be smooth or patterned the patterned face helps grip the nail while driving in the nail
• The peen has a two-pronged claw to pull out nails or pry apart
wood
• The handle length varies – the longer the handle the more leverage
the tool will have
• The weight of the head determines the type of job the hammer will
do from tack hammers for small jobs to large framing hammers for
building houses
• The shape of the claw varies depending on the job it will do – large
claw hammers are referred to as wrecking or rip hammers
Ball Peen Hammer
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Used for working with metalwork
Has a flat face and a rounded peen
Also called an engineer’s hammer
Used to drive punches and cold chisels, set rivets,
and shape metal
• Light weight ball peen hammers are used more
often and are more effective in metalwork than
heavy weight hammers
Club Hammer
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Is a small sledgehammer
Has short handle, typically 10” long
Is used with one hand
Weighs between 2.5 lbs. – 5 lbs.
Has two identical faces for even balance
Used for cold chiseling, demolish masonry, and drive
masonry drills
• The weight of the head will do the work for most
projects
• Using some force from swinging will be needed for
demolition
Hammer Safety
• Have a firm not rigid grip on the handle of the
hammer – shock of striking an object will carry
through your arm if you hold the hammer too tightly
• Grip the hammer at the end of the handle, with one
hand – do not grip towards the head of the hammer
• Be aware of those around you when using a hammer
• Always wear safety glasses
• Do not use if head is loose or damaged
Screwdriver
• Used to drive screws into a variety of
materials
• Most misused/abused tool
• Has 4 parts – handle, shank, blade, tip
• Most common tips are:
• Standard
• Phillips
Standard Screwdriver
• Also known as flat, flared, or straight
• The blade tip width should be the same width
as the slotted screw head
Phillips Screwdriver
• Also know as X-shaped
• Use the correct size and type of screwdriver –
a phillips screwdriver will slip out or strip the
screw head if it is the incorrect size
Screwdriver Safety
• Choose the correct tip and size to fit the screw head –
only use screwdrivers that match screw heads
• Turn clockwise to tighten (right = tight)
• Turn counter clockwise to loosen (left = loose)
• Apply moderate pressure to hold the screw tip firmly in
the screw head – if properly piloted and fitted the
screw will draw itself into the correct position when
turned
• Keep the shank directly over the screw being driven –
do not hold the screw, if the screwdriver slips you can
cut your hand
Be Nice to Your Screwdriver
• Do not use:
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To punch starter holes
As a wedge
As a pry bar
To open boxes
As a can opener
As a chisel
To score or mark measurements
To stir paint/coffee
With any other tool – this is a single use tool
Locking Pliers
• Pliers that are adjustable and lock – also known as vicegrips
• Made of steel
• Come in a variety of shapes and sizes for different jobs
• Has jaws that clamp onto objects
• Has a bolt on one side of the handle to adjust jaws
• Has a leaver on the opposite side of the bolt handle that
will unlock the jaws
• Used to:
• clamp small things in place
• Remove stripped or broken screws
• Hold metal parts in place for welding
Locking Pliers Safety
• Be cautious of what you are clamping, if you
adjust the jaws to small you will damage the
object you are trying to clamp
• Be very careful of your fingers, when closing
the pliers to clamp them the inside of your
pointer finger can get severely pinched
Diagonal Pliers
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Also known as wire cutters
Made of tempered steel
The handles are used to open and close the jaws
Used only for cutting wires
Do not cut like scissors – instead they cut by
indenting and wedging the wire apart
• Not used for griping, clamping, or turning objects
Diagonal Pliers Safety
• Make sure that electricity is turned off prior to
working on an electrical project
• Only use diagonal pliers to cut wire
• Use high quality tempered steel cutters to cut
tempered steel wire (piano wire) or you will
damage the jaws of the cutters
• Keep blades sharp
Tongue-And-Groove Pliers
• Also known as water pump pliers, adjustable pliers,
grove-joint pliers and channellocks
• Has serrated jaws
• Has long handles for increased leverage
• The lower jaw can be moved along a channel system
• When the Jaws are moved the distance between the
handles getting wider
• Used for turning and holding nuts, bolts, gripping
irregularly shaped objects, and clamping materials
Tongue-And-Groove Pliers Safety
• Do not use as a hammer
• Do not hammer handles of pliers
• Do not extend the length of the handles to
secure more leverage
• Do not expose to excess heat as it will change
the tempering of the metal
Hex Key
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Also known as allen key/allen wrench
“L” shaped
Used to drive bolts with a hexagonal head
Small and light weight tool
Can be used with a headless bolt
Torque depends on the length and thickness of the key
Accommodates very small bolts
Very inexpensive to manufacture
Either end of the tool can be used
Comes in both inches (in) and millimeters (mm)
Hex Key Safety
• Make sure that the correct key is being used
• Make sure that the correct side of the key is being
used
• shorter side for more torque and wider spaces
• longer side for less torque and smaller spaces
• Do not over torque the bolt, the hex key will slip
causing the following problems:
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stripping of the bolt head
damage to the material the bolt is being driven into
injury to hands when the key slips
damage to the key
Tape Measure
• Flexible ruler
• Can be made out of cloth, plastic, fiber glass, or
metal
• Designed to measure great lengths
• Designed to be easily carried in toolkit
• Can measure around curves or corners
• Comes in a variety of lengths and styles
Tape Measure Safety
• Do not let tape measure get tangled around
your neck or other body parts
• The edges of metal tape measures can cut
fingers
• Retracting a tape measure too fast can cause
injury to yourself or others
• Do not use a cloth tape measure for a jump
rope or to tie items in place – it is not a rope
Yardstick
• Rigid ruler – 3 feet in length
• Made out of wood, plastic, metal, or fiber
glass
• Designed to measure short lengths
• Can be used as a straight edge
Yardstick Safety
• A yardstick is a tool and should not be used:
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as a sword
to poke others
to reach items on tall shelves
to wedge open door/windows
support beam to stabilize furniture, walls, or buildings
Level
• Comes in a variety of lengths and configurations
• A tool to determine whether a surface or
object is horizontal, vertical, or a 45° angle
• A liquid-filled tube containing an air bubble
that moves to a center window when the
instrument is sent on an even plane
www.thefreedictionary.com
Level Safety
• Do not expose to extreme heat or cold – it will
damage the liquid-filled tube
• A level is a tool and should not be used:
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as a sword
to poke others
to reach items on tall shelves
to wedge open door/windows
support beam to stabilize furniture, walls, or buildings
Carpenter Combination Square
• Has a blade – the metal ruler
• Has a head with two fences – one at 90° angle and
one at 45° angle
• Has a level to make lines and measurements accurate
• The head slides along the blade and can lock into
place – thus allowing you to transfer measurements
accurately and make lines with a pencil without head
slipping out of place
Steel Square
• Also known as a carpenter’s square or framing
square that has a 90° angle
• Used for a variety of different jobs in
construction of houses and furniture
• Has two arms – long and short
• The long arm is 2” wide and is called the blade
• The short arm is 1.5” wide and is called the tongue
Square Safety
• The carpenter combination square and steel
square should not be used for anything other
than measuring
• Both should not be put into pockets
• The steel square should not be “hung” on a
shelf using either arm as a “hook”
• The steel square is not a boomerang
Chisel
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Come in a variety of shapes, sizes and strengths
Used to cut wood, stone, or metal
Has a handle and a blade
Force needs to be applied by a mallet or specialty
hammer to the handle of the chisel in order for the
chisel to remove material of the object that is being
worked on
Chisel Safety
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Always wear safety glasses
Keep hands away from the cutting edge
Use the proper weight and style of mallet/hammer to drive the chisel into the
material being worked
Shield the cutting edge blade when not in use
Never put chisel in your pocket
Do not use as a pry bar, screwdriver, or scraper
Keep blade sharp – a dull blade is more dangerous than a sharp blade
Do not test sharpness of blade with fingers – use a piece of paper
Be aware of others around you while using a chisel
Securely clamp the object you are working on to a workbench
Never hold the object with one hand and chisel with the other
Always cut with the blade pointing away from your body and keep your hands
behind the cutting edge
Do not hand a chisel to someone else – put the chisel down and have the
other person pick it up
Utility Knife
• Also know as a box cutter or safety knife
• Has a retractable blade
• Is used to cut a variety of things in construction,
warehouses, factories, and home workshops
• Extra blades are stored within the handle of the knife
• Handles are made out of metal or plastic
Utility Knife Safety
• Always cut away from your body
• Make sure others are a safe distance away from where you are
cutting
• Retract blade as soon as you are done using it
• Discard dull blades in a proper disposal container – do not put them
in the garbage
• Discard broken utility knives if the handle is broken or it does not
retract or lock the blade in place when using
• Always use a sharp blade – never use a chipped blade
• Do not test sharpness of blade with fingers – use a piece of paper
• If a knife is falling – do not try to catch it – let if fall to the ground
and then pick it up
• Do not hand a knife to anyone – set it down and let the other
person pick it up
Hand-saw
• Use for cutting wood
• Come in a variety of blade sizes and teeth sizes
• Rip hand-saw – for cutting along the grain of wood
• Cross hand-saw – for cutting across the grain of wood
• Handles are made out of wood or plastic
• Blades are made out of metal
• Has 6 different parts:
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Handle
blade
Back
Toe
Tooth
heel
Hand Saw Safety
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Check blade prior to using for missing teeth
Make sure blade fits snugly into the handle
Handle should not have splinters or cracks
Blade should be straight and not bent
Wear eye protection
Do not test sharpness of teeth with fingers
Carry by handle with toe pointed down
Use correct hand saw for the job
Inspect the wood you are cutting for nails, knots or imperfections
that could damage the saw or cause the saw to jump or bind while
you are cutting
• Clamp wood to a tool bench prior to cutting
• Use the full length of the blade during each saw stroke
Hack Saw
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A fine-tooth saw used to cut metal or plastic
Has a blade held in an arched tension frame
Blade are most commonly 8” 10” or 12” long
The blade is installed with the teeth pointing
away from the handle
• Teeth usually are 14, 18, 24, or 34 teeth per inch
Hack Saw Safety
• Make sure that the blade is installed correctly with the
teeth pointing away from the handle
• The tension has to be correct – not too tight, not too loose
• The clamps holding the blade in place need to be properly
tightened
• Clamp the material you will be cutting
• Wear safety glasses
• Prior to cutting use the central part of the blade push the
saw in a few short strokes to score the object – by doing
this the blade will be less likely to jump/slide during cutting
• After cutting loosen the tension on the blade prior to
storage
Ratcheting Socket Wrench
• A tool used to tighten or loosen nuts and bolts
• Has a ratcheting mechanism – this is a mechanical device
that will push or pull in one direction only
• Has 2 parts:
• Handle – comes in a variety of lengths, made of metal, has a
ratcheting mechanism with a direction switch at the head
• Socket – attaches to the head of the handle, comes in a
variety of sizes including inches and millimeters, fits over a
bolt or nut
• The ratchet does not turn the socket – it re-positions the
handle while the socket stays attached to the bolt or nut
Non-Ratcheting Wrench
• A tool used to grip bolts and nuts while using torque
to turn or hold in place the bolt or nut
• Made of metal – usually steel that is chrome-plated
• Comes in a variety of styles:
– box-end wrench – angled to fix in tight places
– open-end wrench – U shaped openings with two different sizes at each end
– combination wrench – open end and box end with same size at each end
– flare-nut wrench – used in plumbing, fits over tubes, has narrow openings
– adjustable wrench/crescent wrench
– hammer wrench – to be used with a hammer to loosen /tighten large fasteners
– pipe wrench
Wrench Safety
• The socket/opening must exactly fit the bolt or nut that is
being tightened or loosened – inches or millimeters
• If you have the incorrect size of socket/opening you will
damage the fastener, or the socket/opening will slip and
you can injure yourself or others
• Do not use as a hammer
• Do not use an extender to increase the leverage of a handle
– use a longer handled wrench
• Do not use if wrench handle, ratcheting mechanism, socket
or opening is damaged
• Make sure that electricity is turned off prior to working on
an electrical project
• If possible pull the wrench instead of pushing