Letter Opener Safety Tips

Letter openers make dealing with mail quick and easy.  While slicing through your daily take, follow some basic letter opener safety tips to keep yourself and others puncture-free. 

Ahead of the game

The fact that someone uses a letter opener shows a careful disposition.  Besides keeping the envelop neat and crisp, the common hand letter opener keeps annoying paper cuts away.  As with any great tool, there is a right way to use a letter opener, and many, many wrong ways.

No joke construction

Many types of materials are used for letter openers, but two types are the most common:

Plastic Letter Openers:  These can still be sharp, so letter opener safety tips still apply.

Metallic Letter Openers:  Just like little knives or swords, handle with care.

Recessed Blade:  A plastic casing surrounding a thin blade.  Generally safer, letter opener safety tips are still necessary.

Automatic:  As with any electric device, unplug before servicing.

Yes, they're sharp

Although not a common danger around the home or office, letter openers can cause injury.  Starting off with some good letter opener safety tips, let's review some basics we've all learned in kindergarten:

Running:  Don't do it with sharp objects, including letter openers.

Pockets:  Don't put your cool new designer letter opener in your pocket.  Even the safe-style recessed bladed letter openers can break when you sit down.

Horseplay:  Of course you wouldn't throw even plastic letter openers.  Don't even pretend to throw it.  One slip, that projectile can hurt.

These are all basic letter opener safety tips, but unfortunately they have to be reiterated.  Hospitals report that common household and office injuries result from violations of these simple standards.  If you're more than five years old, there's no excuse for ignoring these rudimentary letter opener safety tips.

Other points to consider

Moving on to the more advanced letter opener safety tips:

One use:  Letter openers are not pry bars.  Do not try to open jammed drawers with one.

Storage:  Make sure you know where your letter opener is.  Fumbling around a cluttered desk drawer might deliver a nasty sharp surprise.

The low-down:  Falling sharp things are never good.  Don't keep letter openers above waist height.

Letter opener safety tips only work if you follow them.  These letter opener safety tips are not at all challenging.  Mix them with a little common sense, and your day is sure to flow by without accident or injury.

More information on letter openers