Reciprocating Saws

1. Reciprocating Saws http://diybyexample.info/picture_library/tools/reciprocating-saw.jpg

2. What is a Reciprocating Saw? • A reciprocating saw is a type of saw in which the cutting action is achieved through a push-pull motion of the blade. • The term reciprocating saw is commonly used in construction, demolition work, tree trimming, window fitting, and smaller versions of the saw are used in the medical field. • Also known as a Saber Saw or a Sawzall en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocating_saw

3. Controls and Functions • Hold for the second hand. This allows the handler to have more control of the saw Hold for the first hand. Inside of the hold is the trigger which makes the blade move. The blade of the saw. It rotates back and forth when the trigger is pressed www.sears.com/shc/s/s_10153_12605_Tools_Portable+Power+Tools_Reciprocating+Saws

4. Common Types of Injuries • Injuries commonly occur when the operator does not follow safety precautions or the operator is not focused on the task at hand. • Most injuries occur in the form of cuts, loss of fingers, electrocution, or from collapsing loads. healthlibrary.epnet.com

5. Common Types of Injuries • Collapsing Loads • Always make sure that cutting is not occurring in an area that supports another load. Here, a load is falling on top of Mr. Stick because he did not check the other loads acting on the area he was sawing.

6. Statistics • There were 8 recordable fatalities from the reciprocating saw from 1990 – 2007. • No other statistics could be found regarding deaths or injuries from reciprocating saws. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

7. Fatalities • An employee was using a reciprocating saw to cut through two vertical members of a set of granite pieces. The employee was supposed to wait for his coworker to clamp down the sheets he started cutting before the sheets were clamped. Eleven of the 800 lb sheets fell toward the employee, pinning his chest against the wall of the trailer in which they were loaded. He died of asphyxia. Asphyxia is a condition in which insufficient or no oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged on a ventilatory basis. Source:Wordnet.princeton.edu

8. How To Prevent This From Happening • If the employee would have waited on his coworker, he would not have died. • Follow Safety Procedure #3 • Before sawing, MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE AREA THAT IS BEING SAWED. IT MAY SUPPORT ANOTHER LOAD! Source: www.dewalt.com/us/articles/article.asp?Site=product&ID=1256

9. Fatalities • An employee was demolishing an interior partition using a portable reciprocating saw when he was struck by debris from the partition and fell from a step ladder. He sustained injuries to his head, neck vertebrae, and spinal cord. He died of his injuries. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

10. How To Prevent This From Happening • See Safety Procedure #10: Never cut directly above the working area. • Also see Safety Procedure #3: Make sure the area being sawed does not support another load.

11. Fatalities • The next case involves a laborer that died as a result of electrical shock. The laborer was cutting a ceiling joist when he hit a section of Romex Electrical wire. The laborer continued to saw through this which resulting in electrocution. Although the Case was never proven, this is the most likely cause of his death. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

12. How To Prevent This From Happening • See Safety Procedure #13: Before sawing, always know what is being sawed, and what is behind the area that is being sawed.

13. Fatalities • An employee was working in the electrical utility room of a large retail outlet under construction. The employee was directed to utilize a reciprocating saw to cut a piece of PVC pipe protruding vertically out of the floor within an energized switch gear cabinet. The supervisor did not de-energize the switch gear. While the employee made the cut, he also made contact with a 277 volt electrical buss, was electrocuted and died. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

14. How To Prevent This From Happening • Safety Procedure #14:Do not cut or saw around electrical equipment. Either shut off the electricity, or cover the wires with an insulating blanket. • An employee should never be put in a compromising situation like this. Safety should always come first.

15. Fatalities • A worker cutting stainless steel tubing and pressure gauges from the ceiling fell from an A-frame ladder onto an aluminum stanchion attached to the floor. The section of tubing and gauges was approximately 46" long. The worker was standing about six feet up on the ladder cutting the tubing with a reciprocating saw. The saw was in his right hand and he was holding the tubing and gauges with his left hand. As the cut was completed, the worker on the ladder held onto the section of tubing and gauges. The falling weight caused the worker to fall off the ladder onto the stanchion. Because of the position the worker landed in, the falling weight caused the worker on the ladder to rotate in a clockwise fashion. The stanchion entered the worker's chest just below the right nipple and crossed his chest upwards to the left side of his chest near the clavicle, but did not exit. The worker died later that afternoon. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

16. How To Prevent This From Happening • See Safety Procedure #5: Make sure the operator can physically handle the machine before using the saw. Always use two hands. • If the laborer had been using two hands, he would have had more control. He would have been able to keep himself from falling over the ladder.

17. Fatalities • An employee was replacing water pipes in an existing apartment building. He used a trouble light as a flexible cord to provide power to a reciprocating saw. The building did not have a grounded electrical system in the apartment where the repairs were being made and the receptacles would not accept a ground prong. The ground prong had been removed from the flexible cord and tests revealed the electrical system in the apartment had reversed polarity. The victim apparently placed the trouble light on an aluminum ladder. The light charged the ladder with electrical current and the victim contacted the ladder with his right arm while his right temple was touching a cooper water pipe. The current flowed through his arm and out his temple, electrocuting him. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

18. How To Prevent This From Happening • In this case, certain abnormal conditions existed. • 1. The ground prong had been removed from the electrical cord. • 2. The system had reversed polarity. • Although these conditions seem abnormal, and the accident seemed to be just a “freak accident,” it was not.

19. How To Prevent This From Happening • A laborer should never operate equipment if it has been damaged. In this case, the ground prong had been removed. • Any elements that could influence the safety of the job should be known. The worker should have known that the building had reverse polarity. • To prevent future occurrences like this, the company should have each worker analyze site conditions before completing each task.

20. Fatalities • A master plumber was attempting to cut a hole in a roof, when he apparently lost control of a Sawzall and struck himself between his eye and his temple with the blade. The victim contacted the ambulance, himself and was transported to the Hospital. The victim was pronounced dead the next day. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

21. How To Prevent This From Happening • If the plumber had been following these safety precautions, the accident might not have occurred. • #5: Make sure the operator can physically handle the machine before using the saw. Always use two hands. • #10: Never cut directly above the working area.

22. Fatalities • Two employees were working on the plumbing problem in an old house. One of the employees, a plumber, was under the house in a crawl space. The other was in the kitchen, handing down tools and parts. The plumber requested an electric saw to cut a pipe he needed to remove. After sending down the saw, the helper connected a three-wire extension cord set to a kitchen receptacle outlet that was close to the access hole. He heard a scream and unplugged the cord. The plumber, who had the saw resting on his chest, was electrocuted. The two-hole receptacle outlet did not provide an equipment grounding conductor, and the grounding prongs were missing from the plugs on the saw's power supply cord and on the extension cord set. Additionally, the power supply cord on the saw had been improperly repaired, and the neutral conductor was in contact with the unconnected equipment grounding conductor. Also, no ground-fault circuit interrupter was in use. Source: Extracted from OSHA Accident Investigation Data 1990-2007

23. How To Prevent This From Happening • In this case, certain abnormal conditions existed. • 1. The two-hole receptacle outlet did not provide an equipment grounding conductor • 2. The grounding prongs were missing from the plugs on the saw's power supply cord and on the extension cord set. • 3. The power supply cord on the saw had been improperly repaired, and the neutral conductor was in contact with the unconnected equipment grounding conductor. • 4. No ground-fault circuit interrupter was in use.

24. How To Prevent This From Happening • A laborer should never operate equipment if it has been damaged. In this case, the ground prong had been removed, the power supply had not been properly prepared, and no GFI was in use. • Any elements that could influence the safety of the job should be known. The worker should have known that these conditions existed in the house. • To prevent future occurrences like this, the company should have each worker analyze site conditions before completing each task.

25. OSHA Regulations • 1910.243(a)(2)(ii) • Reciprocating saws, saber, scroll, and jig saws with blade shanks greater than a nominal one-fourth inch, and other similarly operating powered tools shall be equipped with a constant pressure switch or control, and may have a lock-on control provided that turnoff can be accomplished by a single motion of the same finger or fingers that turn it on.

26. OSHA Regulations This is a close-up of the end of the tool (the beginning of the blade). The rectangular guard keeps the blade from splitting and also helps with the pressure control. The saw can only move when pressure is applied, thus eliminating many injuries. This helps satisfy OSHA regulation 1910.243(a)(2)(ii).

27. Safety Procedures 1. Make sure the correct blade is fully locked in. 2. Make sure the blade is sharp 3. Make sure objects to be cut are free of clutter and that anything they support is restrained. 4. Never remove or disable any safety device included on the saw 5. Make sure the operator can physically handle the machine before using the saw. Always use two hands. 6. Read and understand the owner's operating manual. Learn where the controls are and what they do. http://www.wk-usa.com/Manuals/Reciprocating%20Saw%202006.pdf

28. Safety Procedures 7. Make sure there is adequate lighting. 8. Do not remove or disable safety guards or devices. 9. For best control, keep the saw's handle dry, clean and free from oil and grease. 10. Never cut directly above the working area. http://www.wk-usa.com/Manuals/Reciprocating%20Saw%202006.pdf

29. Safety Procedures 11. When plugging a saw into an outlet or connecting a saw to an extension cord, be sure the power switch is in the "off" position. 13. Before sawing, always know what is being sawed, and what is behind the area that is being sawed. 14. Do not cut or saw around electrical equipment. Either shut off the electricity, or cover the wires with an insulating blanket. 15. Do not carry a corded saw by the cord!!! http://www.wk-usa.com/Manuals/Reciprocating%20Saw%202006.pdf

30. DO NOT HOLD THE SAW BY THE CORD!!! • Holding the saw by the cord could result in injury or death. The cord could electrocute the holder or the saw could swing and injure someone. www.answers.com/topic/coping-saw

31. References • www.wkusa.com/Manuals/Reciprocating%20Saw%202006.pdf • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocating_saw • www.answers.com/topic/coping-saw • www.sears.com/shc/s/s_10153_12605_Tools_Portable+Power+Tools_Reciprocating+Saws • www.dewalt.com/us/articles/article.asp?Site=product&ID=1256

32. Think Safely Work Safely