Safety with Spanners

• Turn open-end and ring spanners by pulling. If you have no other choice but to push the spanner, use the palm of the open hand.
• Do not increase the leverage of a spanner with water pipe, etc.
• Use both hands on large spanners and tubular box spanners.
• Do not use defective spanners.
• Do not use a spanner that does not fit correctly or is placed incorrectly on the nut.
• The moveable jaw of an adjustable spanner should be ahead of the direction of pull on the handle.

Safety with Wrenches

• There are a few basic rules that you should keep in mind when using wrenches. They are as follows:
• Always use a wrench that fits the nut properly.
• Keep wrenches clean and free from oil. Otherwise they may slip, resulting in possible serious injury to you or damage to the work.
• Do not increase the leverage of a wrench by placing a pipe over the handle. Increased leverage may damage the wrench or the work.
• Provide some sort of kit or case for all wrenches. Return them to the case at the completion of each job. This saves time and trouble and aids selection of tools for the next job. Most important, it eliminates the possibility of leaving them where they can cause injury to personnel or damage to equipment.
• Determine which way a nut should be turned before trying to loosen it. Most nuts are turned counterclockwise for removal. This may seem obvious, but even experienced people have been observed straining at the wrench in the tightening direction when they wanted to loosen the nut.
• Learn to select your wrenches to fit the type of work you are doing. If you are not familiar with these wrenches, make arrangements to visit a shop that has most of them, and get acquainted.

Safety with Chisels

• Wear safety glasses.
• Never chip towards yourself and protect others with screens.
• Do not use a chisel that has a crack or a flaw.
• Check that the hammer is in good condition.
• Make sure your hands, the chisel and hammer are clean and dry and free from grease.
• Watch the cutting edge of the chisel, not the head.
• Make sure that the size of the chisel and its cutting angle are correct for the job.
• Never use a chisel with a mushroomed head.

Safety with Hammers

• Never use a claw hammer for hitting hard objects, ie masonry nails, cold chisels, etc, as the face is likely to chip.
• Never use a hammer with a split, badly chipped or loose head.
• Replace any handle that is cracked or split.
• Make sure the handle and striking faces are clean, dry and free from grease.
• Never hit two hammer faces together.
• Use a piece of soft metal between a hammer and hard steel.
• Make sure it is clear, behind and above, before you swing a hammer.
• Strike the heads of chisels and punches, etc, squarely.

Safety with Hacksaw

• Hacksaw Safety The main danger in using hacksaws is injury to your hand if the blade breaks.
• The blade will break if too much pressure is applied, when the saw is twisted, when the cutting speed is too fast, or when the blade becomes loose in the frame.
• Additionally, if the work is not tight in the vise, it will sometimes slip, twisting the blade enough to break it.

Safety with Screwdriver

• Select the correct type and size of screwdriver for the work.
• Check that the tip is in good condition and is a good fit in the screw slot or recess.
• Check that the handle is free of defects and that the handle is well insulated.
• Keep your hand away from where it could be injured by a slipping screwdriver blade.
• Keep the axis of the blade in line with the axis of the screw.
• Never use a screwdriver as a lever, pry or punch bar.