Dont Cut off Your Fingers
Every year, there are hundreds of accidents involving guillotine paper cutters across the United States. Children, parent volunteers, teachers
and office workers are all at risk of hurting themselves using unsafe
guillotine style paper cutters. The razor sharp blades used on these
cutters along with the sheer force that they can exert makes it far too
easy to cut oneself or worse cut off a finger. This article will
identify three safety features that are absolutely essential for safety
when using a guillotine style paper cutter. Here they are??br>
1. The Blade Guard ??This is the most important safety feature
included on most guillotine cutters. However, the first thing that many
users do when they receive their guillotine cutter is to remove the
guard. I am sure that you have heard people say that the guard gets in
the way or is hard to work around. However, without the blade guard
there is nothing to keep your fingers or someone else?? fingers from
getting under the blade when you are cutting. Many guillotine cutters
simply have a metal bar about ???from the blade. However, the best
cutters will have a plastic blade guard that will make it impossible to
get your fingers under the blade from either side of the cutter.
2. The Blade Latch ??When you buy a guillotine paper cutter you
will notice that there is a small latch on the front of the machine
that will lock the bade in the closed position. Often this is a small
piece of wire that hooks over the handle of the blade. Other times it
is a metal piece that will connect with the bottom of the handle. This
latch makes sure that the sharp blade is not left exposed when the
cutter is not in use. If the latch is not engaged then it is possible
for the handle to be left in the up position. If a person were to come
by and run their hand along the blade (just to see how sharp it is) or
were to grab the blade with their hand, they could be cut very badly.
3. The Tension Spring ??Every guillotine style paper cutter should
have a tension spring attached to the back of the blade. The spring is
designed to prevent the blade from falling when you let go of the
handle. Without the tension spring your guillotine cutter would operate
just like a guillotine and the blade would quickly fall if you were to
let go of the handle. As you can imagine, this could present a huge
safety risk. The tension spring should never be removed from a paper
cutter and if it becomes damaged the cutter should be put away and not
used until it has been replaced.
Unfortunately, many users do not exercise common sense when using their
guillotine cutting machines. Even with these three safety features in
place, a guillotine cutter can still be very dangerous. It is always
important to be careful when using your paper cutter and to remember
that the blade is very sharp. If you haven?? yet bought a paper cutter
or are considering buying a guillotine cutter you absolutely need to
make sure the one you choose has these three features .