Last night, 5/19, there was an accident in the wood shop with the circular saw which resulted in an amputated finger. The member involved in the accident last night was quickly brought to the ER and reported to be discharged early this morning. I have not been able to reach the member yet to know the current state. If you happen to know who the member is, please be respectful for their identity at this time.
The reality is that this was an unfortunate accident through use of the circular saw. Through quick reaction from Jason and the students in his class, they were able to call 911, get EMS on scene, and get the member, the care he needed. From time of injury to exiting with EMS, all of this happened within 19 minutes.
There were a lot of folks involved with cleanup and response of this and I want to thank all involved for their professionalism and extreme care for the situation.
This is something we are taking very seriously. The board, staff, and all volunteer shop leads have been involved in some way in the last 24 hours, and will continue to be involved as we evaluate processes in the workshop that are well or things that could be improved.
I also want to take this as a moment to remind folks to express safety and appropriate caution with everything you do in the workshop with any tool, power or basic hand tool accidents can happen fast especially if you find yourself tired, hungry, or frustrated.
If you are hungry, take a break and eat.
If you are tired, sit down and drink some water.
If you are frustrated, walk away and come back tomorrow.