With the popularity of giant home improvement retailers like Lowes and Home Depot exploding in the past decade, the use of consumer power tools has also increased accordingly.   Power tools are a great way for do-it-yourself minded homeowners to complete jobs that they would normally pay thousands extra to outsource.   But with the increase in consumer power tools comes an often overlooked hazard: serious injuries caused by shoddy workmanship or manufacturing defects in the tools themselves.

Power tools with moving parts such as saws, should have built in safety features to compensate for predictable hazards.  Manufacturers should equip all tools with appropriate guards on the moving parts, as well as provide safety features for other potential hazards such as flying particles that can damage the eyes and leaking vapors that can cause burns.

Besides unsafe flaws in design, power tools are also prone to manufacturing defects that go undetected because of poor quality control and testing policies by the manufacturer.   Defects in power tools are very dangerous and can lead to countless serious injuries such as electric shock, burns from fire, and life threatening puncture injuries.

While consumers using power tools need to follow the safety protocol outlined by the tool’s manufacturer (i.e., wearing safety glasses, using properly grounded electrical outlets, never using the tools while under the influence of drugs or alcohol), other shoddy design and/or blatant defects can be the cause of a serious power tool injury. A personal injury lawyer is a good place for consumers to turn to for help if such injuries occur.