We've spoken before of the amazing ways a paper cutter can benefit your business. It can save you money and protect the environment, to say nothing of its convenience.
But, if used incorrectly, a paper cutter can also cause severe bodily harm. That's why we include extensive safety features in all of our cutters and trimmers. And today, we're including this guide to keep you safe while cutting.
The dangers of paper cutters are serious. Always follow these safety precautions while cutting.
General Paper Cutter Safety Precautions
With any cutter and any cutting job, keep your full attention on the cutting task at hand. One second of distraction is all it takes for you or someone else to get hurt.
Don't try to catch things. This puts your focus on the falling object instead of cutting.
Moreover, your sudden reaching could knock over the cutter or land your hand in the danger zone. If something is falling while you're cutting, let it drop.
If you notice the cutter making strange noises, working differently, or you have any other safety concern about the cutter, slowly lift your hands off and back away. Discontinue use and make the owner of the cutter aware of the issue.
Follow all proper operating instructions. When changing blades, follow blade-change instructions and use included blade-changing tools.
Guillotine Paper Cutters
Guillotine paper cutters are arguably the most dangerous type of cutter because they don't have a guard device to keep hands away from the blade.
Never, at any point, let your hand be underneath the blade. At best, you might accidentally cut it on the blade. At worst, something heavy could fall on the blade and seriously damage or remove your fingers.
Always lock the blade when not in use.
Stack Cutters
Here are the essential safety precautions to keep in mind when operating a stack cutter. This goes for manual, automatic and semi-automatic stack cutters.
Buy New
These machines can easily slice right through three inches of paper at once. That's like cutting through a 3-inch block of wood. Needless to say, they are, potentially, very dangerous.
When you buy a used cutter, these safety measures may be broken, missing or worn down to dangerous levels. For safety's sake, it's a good never to buy a used stack cutter. Compromising safety is not a good way to save money.
Check Safety Precautions
Make sure the cutter has these safety precautions in good, working order, especially if you are using a secondhand or unfamiliar stack cutter.
Hand Shield
The protective shield keeps hands and other body parts safe from the blade. Make sure the protective shield is in place and secure before operating.
Also, make sure the shield has no cracks. Advise the owner and do not use if the shield is missing, broken or wobbly.
Two-Hand Operation
Fully automatic and semi-automatic cutters should always have a two-hand operation feature. This ensures the user has both hands safely occupied on each button during operation. This way, hands can't get seriously harmed by the machine.
Never use a full or semi-automatic stack cutter that doesn't have this feature. And never use a second person or object to hold one of the buttons to free up one hand. The two-hand operation feature is there for a good reason.
Be Safe, Save Your Fingers
Please cut carefully. For your sake and the sake of others, always follow proper safety procedure when using a paper cutter.
Check out more paper cutter tips on our blog.
