What device is used to prevent injury from the blade on a saw?

• A. Guard
• B. Riving knife
• C. Laser guide
• D. Push stick

Answer: (A)

The main idea is safety features that shield you from the cutting edge. The blade guard is the device that covers the exposed portion of the blade, acting as a barrier between your hands and the blade. It usually sits over the blade and retracts as you push material through, then covers the blade again after the cut, which greatly reduces the chance of direct contact and serious injury.

Other tools have important safety roles but in a different way. A push stick helps you keep your hands away from the blade while feeding wood, lowering risk but not by covering the blade itself. A riving knife sits behind the blade to prevent the wood from pinching and kicking back, which improves control and safety during cutting—yet it doesn’t primarily shield your hands from the blade. A laser guide assists with alignment, not with preventing contact injuries.

So the device designed to prevent injury from the blade itself is the guard, because its primary purpose is to physically cover the blade and protect you from accidental contact.