Document last updated on December 20, 2013
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Even the best-organised job sites always come with a certain amount of danger that is simply unavoidable in the construction industry. Of course, it's important to take appropriate measures to identify and minimise hazards, but vigilance is still a necessity. To that end, it's worth considering how one of the most potentially hazardous elements of the job - power tools - are impacting the safety of Australian tradies. Power tools present many potential dangers, and while some of these are specific to certain types of tools, others are blanket issues that are a bit harder to avoid. Here at Hilti, we firmly believe in making construction sites as safe as possible, so in this article we'll take a look at a few ways to reduce risk when using power tools. The types of tools you use Some power tools will always be more dangerous than others, but there are still some hazards that are always going to be present, regardless of the tool. A classic example of this is cords and cables. A tool that needs to be physically tethered to a power supply is a tripping hazard, and that danger is only intensified when working at heights. For decades, there wasn't an easy way to get around this issue. Sure, there were cordless alternatives available but these often lacked the same power and performance of a wired tool. That's all changed now thanks to modern Lithium-ion batteries, which can provide high levels of power for long stretches of time. This ensures that protection doesn't have to come at the expense of performance. In addition to high-performance cordless tools, Hilti also supplies extension poles for our explosive power tools, which allow tradies to complete fastening tasks without having to leave the ground. As working at heights is one of the most frequent ways injuries occur on construction sites, any way to keep your feet firmly on the ground is a positive. |