Hammer Safety

Before you start...

• Make sure you are wearing your safety glasses and apron.
• Make sure you are using the right kind of nails
• Double check that you are hammering in the right place.
• Make sure your work area is flat and free of clutter and that you have enough personal space to work.

DO’s and DON’T’s

• DO - For the first couple of hammer strikes, do them gently so that you don’t accidentally hit your fingers.
• DO - Use small but forceful taps to drive your nail in - don’t lift the hammer above your head to bring it down, instead, lift it about 5-10cm from the nail.
• DO - Once the nail has been stabilised in the wood after the first few hits, take away your fingers so that you don’t accidentally hit them with the hammer.
• DO - Hold the wood down and still with your free hand.
• DO - work on a flat surface, free of clutter.
• DON’T - Nail your work to the workbench! Instead, use an appropriately sized nail for your purposes, and if the nail is longer than the width of your wood, hammer the nail in with that part of the wood over a gap between two benches.

Instructional Video

How to use a hammer safely...