10.3 Hand and Power Tools (Subpart I)
Key Takeaways
- Employers are responsible for the safe condition of tools and equipment used by employees, including tools the employees themselves furnish (29 CFR 1926.300(a)).
- Electric power-operated tools must be either of the approved double-insulated type or grounded in accordance with Subpart K.
- Compressed air may not be used for cleaning except where reduced to less than 30 psi, and then only with effective chip guarding and PPE.
- Only employees trained in the operation of the particular tool may operate a powder-actuated tool, the tool must be tested each day before loading, and loaded tools may never be left unattended.
- Bench and floor grinder work rests must be kept within one-eighth inch of the wheel, and abrasive wheels require guards covering the spindle end, nut, and flange projections.
10.3 Hand and Power Tools (Subpart I)
Core Principle: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart I (1926.300–307) governs the equipment a construction worker touches most often. Its opening sentence is the one to teach first, because it settles the argument that comes up on every jobsite: the employer is responsible for the safe condition of tools and equipment used by employees, including tools and equipment which may be furnished by employees. "It's his own saw" is not a defense.
Tools — Hand and Power is a named elective topic in both the 10-hour and 30-hour construction outreach outlines.
1. General Requirements (1926.300)
Condition of Tools — 1926.300(a)
All hand and power tools and similar equipment, whether furnished by the employer or the employee, shall be maintained in a safe condition. Defective tools are removed from service; this pairs with 1926.20(b)(3), which requires any non-complying tool to be tagged or locked out of service or physically removed.
Guarding — 1926.300(b)
- (b)(1) When power-operated tools are designed to accommodate guards, they shall be equipped with such guards when in use. A circular saw with the lower guard wired back is the canonical violation.
- (b)(2) Belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, sprockets, spindles, drums, fly wheels, chains, or other reciprocating, rotating, or moving parts shall be guarded if exposed to contact by employees or otherwise creating a hazard.
- (b)(3) One or more methods of machine guarding must protect the operator and other employees from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, and flying chips and sparks. Examples given: barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices.
- (b)(4) Point of operation is defined as the area on a machine where work is actually performed on the material being processed, and the point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury shall be guarded.
- (b)(5) Exposed blades of portable circular saws, chain saws, and percussion tools without positive accessory holding means, and exposed blades on equipment that could cause injury, are addressed with specific guarding rules; hand-fed circular ripsaws and crosscut table saws require hoods and spreaders.
- (b)(6) Machines designed for a fixed location shall be securely anchored to prevent walking or moving.
Personal Protective Equipment — 1926.300(c)
Employees using hand and power tools exposed to falling, flying, abrasive, and splashing objects, or to harmful dusts, fumes, mists, vapors, or gases, must be provided with the PPE required by Subpart E.
Switches — 1926.300(d)
1926.300(d) sorts hand-held powered tools into three switch categories, and the exam value is in keeping them straight:
| Category | Tools | Required control |
|---|---|---|
| (d)(1) | Platen sanders, grinders with wheels 2 inches in diameter or less, routers, planers, laminate trimmers, nibblers, shears, scroll saws, and jigsaws with blade shanks one-fourth inch wide or less | May be equipped with only a positive "on-off" control |
| (d)(2) | Drills, tappers, fastener drivers, horizontal, vertical, and angle grinders with wheels greater than 2 inches, disc sanders, belt sanders, reciprocating saws, saber saws, and other similar operating powered tools | Momentary contact "on-off" control, and may have a lock-on control provided turnoff can be accomplished by a single motion of the same finger or fingers that turn it on |
| (d)(3) | All other hand-held powered tools, such as circular saws, chain saws, and percussion tools without positive accessory holding means | Constant pressure switch that will shut off the power when the pressure is released |
Exception (d)(5): this paragraph does not apply to concrete vibrators, concrete breakers, powered tampers, jack hammers, rock drills, and similar hand operated power tools.
2. Power-Operated Hand Tools (1926.302)
Electric Tools — 1926.302(a)
- Electric power operated tools shall be either of the approved double-insulated type or grounded in accordance with Subpart K.
- The use of electric cords for hoisting or lowering tools shall not be permitted.
Pneumatic Tools — 1926.302(b)
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Hose connection | Tools shall be secured to the hose or whip by some positive means to prevent accidental disconnection |
| Percussion tools | Safety clips or retainers shall be securely installed and maintained to prevent attachments from being accidentally expelled |
| Nailers and staplers | Automatic-feed tools operating at more than 100 psi at the tool require a safety device on the muzzle to prevent ejecting fasteners unless the muzzle is in contact with the work surface |
| Compressed air for cleaning | Shall not be used except where reduced to less than 30 psi, and then only with effective chip guarding and PPE. The 30 psi limit does not apply for concrete form, mill scale, and similar cleaning purposes |
| Hose pressure | The manufacturer's safe operating pressure for hoses, pipes, valves, filters, and fittings shall not be exceeded |
| Hoisting | Hoses shall not be used for hoisting or lowering tools |
| Large hose | Hoses exceeding 1/2-inch inside diameter shall have a safety device at the source of supply or branch line to reduce pressure in case of hose failure |
| Airless spray guns | Guns atomizing at 1,000 psi or more require automatic or visible manual safety devices preventing trigger pull, or a diffuser nut plus nozzle tip guard |
| Abrasive blast nozzles | Equipped with an operating valve which must be held open manually, with a support for the nozzle when not in use |
Fuel Powered Tools — 1926.302(c)
All fuel powered tools shall be stopped while being refueled, serviced, or maintained, and fuel transported, handled, and stored per Subpart F. When used in enclosed spaces, the toxic-gas and PPE requirements of Subparts D and E apply — carbon monoxide from a gas-powered saw or generator in a partially enclosed area is a recurring fatality mechanism.
Powder-Actuated Tools — 1926.302(e)
Twelve rules, and a trainer should be able to recite the first six:
- Only employees who have been trained in the operation of the particular tool in use shall be allowed to operate a powder-actuated tool.
- The tool shall be tested each day before loading to see that safety devices are in proper working condition, by the manufacturer's recommended method.
- Any tool not in proper working order, or that develops a defect during use, shall be immediately removed from service and not used until properly repaired.
- PPE shall be in accordance with Subpart E.
- Tools shall not be loaded until just prior to the intended firing time; neither loaded nor empty tools are to be pointed at any employee; hands shall be kept clear of the open barrel end.
- Loaded tools shall not be left unattended.
- Fasteners shall not be driven into very hard or brittle materials including cast iron, glazed tile, surface-hardened steel, glass block, live rock, face brick, or hollow tile.
- Driving into easily penetrated materials shall be avoided unless backed by a substance preventing the fastener from passing through and creating a flying missile hazard on the other side.
- No fastener shall be driven into a spalled area caused by an unsatisfactory fastening.
- Tools shall not be used in an explosive or flammable atmosphere.
- All tools shall be used with the correct shield, guard, or attachment recommended by the manufacturer.
- Tools shall meet the other applicable requirements of ANSI A10.3.
3. Abrasive Wheels and Tools (1926.303)
Grinder injuries are usually either a wheel burst or a hand drawn into the gap between the wheel and the work rest. Subpart I addresses both.
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Power | Grinding machines shall be supplied with sufficient power to maintain spindle speed at safe levels under all normal operating conditions |
| Guard design | The safety guard shall cover the spindle end, nut, and flange projections, be mounted to maintain proper alignment with the wheel, and the strength of the fastenings shall exceed the strength of the guard |
| Maximum angular exposure, floor stand and bench grinders | Not more than 90°; where the work requires contact below the horizontal plane of the spindle, not more than 125°; in either case exposure begins not more than 65° above the horizontal plane of the spindle |
| Work rests | Floor and bench-mounted grinders shall have rigidly supported and readily adjustable work rests kept at a distance not to exceed one-eighth inch from the surface of the wheel |
| Portable wheels | The maximum exposure of the grinding wheel periphery and sides for portable grinders shall not exceed 180° (1926.303(c)(5)) |
| Inspection before mounting | All abrasive wheels shall be closely inspected and ring-tested before mounting to ensure that they are free from cracks or defects (1926.303(c)(7)) |
| Mounting | Grinding wheels shall fit freely on the spindle and shall not be forced on. The spindle nut shall be tightened only enough to hold the wheel in place (1926.303(c)(8)). Safety flanges, where required, shall be used only with wheels designed to fit them |
| Eye protection | All employees using abrasive wheels shall be protected by eye protection equipment under Subpart E, except where adequate eye protection is afforded by eye shields permanently attached to the bench or floor stand (1926.303(c)(9)) |
Exam Trap: The one-eighth inch work rest clearance and the ring test are the two most quoted items in Subpart I. The work rest is adjusted with the wheel stopped; a rest left at a quarter inch on a worn wheel is the gap that pulls a hand or a workpiece into the wheel. The ring test is a sound test — suspend the wheel on a pin, tap it gently with a non-metallic implement, and listen: a sound wheel rings, a cracked wheel thuds.
4. Woodworking Tools, Jacks and Hydraulics
- Woodworking tools (1926.304): all fixed power-driven woodworking tools shall be provided with a disconnect switch that can either be locked or tagged in the off position. The operating speed shall be etched or otherwise permanently marked on all circular saws over 20 inches in diameter or operating at over 10,000 peripheral feet per minute, and a marked saw shall not be run at any other speed. All portable, power-driven circular saws shall be equipped with guards above and below the base plate or shoe; the lower guard must automatically and instantly return to the covering position when the tool is withdrawn from the work. All woodworking tools and machinery shall meet the other applicable requirements of ANSI O1.1-1961.
- Jacks (1926.305): the manufacturer's rated capacity shall be legibly marked on all jacks and shall not be exceeded, and all jacks shall have a positive stop to prevent overtravel. After the load has been raised, it shall be cribbed, blocked, or otherwise secured at once — a jack is a lifting device, never a support. Inspection frequency shall be not less than: once every 6 months for constant or intermittent use at one locality; when sent out and when returned for jacks sent out of the shop for special work; and immediately before and immediately after use for a jack subjected to abnormal load or shock. Hydraulic jacks exposed to freezing temperatures must be supplied with an adequate antifreeze liquid.
- Hydraulic tools (1926.302(d)): the fluid used shall be an approved fire-resistant fluid and shall retain its operating characteristics at the most extreme temperatures to which it will be exposed; manufacturers' safe operating pressures shall not be exceeded.
An OSHA compliance officer observes a laborer using a compressed-air hose regulated at 90 psi to blow sawdust off a workbench, wearing safety glasses. Under 29 CFR 1926.302(b)(4), what is the violation?
A carpenter's apprentice picks up a powder-actuated tool that a colleague left loaded on a sawhorse during lunch and fires it into a hollow tile wall. Identify the provisions of 29 CFR 1926.302(e) that were violated.
During a jobsite inspection, a competent person finds a bench grinder whose work rest has been left at a quarter-inch gap from a partially worn wheel. What does 29 CFR 1926.303(c)(2) require?