I'll throw some thoughts on the pile, but spending a little time with a careful woodworker to learn the basics is probably a better approach. Ask a friend, find an old woodworker in the neighborhood with 10 fingers, or take a class.
I have read that most serious woodshop injuries happen on the table saw. One theory was that every woodshop has one, so the odds make it more likely. The other theory was that since every woodworker spends a lot of time on a table saw, they become less cautious around the saw. Don't allow yourself to become lax as you grow comfortable with the saw.
If something seems unsafe, it probably is. Listen to that little voice inside. Find another way. Build a jig, use another type of saw, something. A common thing mentioned by injured woodworkers is that they thought "this isn't quite safe" before getting into trouble.
Never put any part of your body in line with the blade. Before or after the blade. Before the wood may have a soft section & feed unexpectedly quickly. I saw a guy do that. It left a perfect 1/8" kerf in the fatty part of his thumb. After the blade can **** you back into the blade in a kickback situation. I can't think of any situation where you should be reaching to the kerf at the back side of the blade.
Hook a couple of fingers over the fence as you push the board thru. So if the board is kicked back you are holding onto the fence instead of the board. It also gives you a consistent reference point for your hand to travel along.
Set the blade height just a little above the thickness of your material. Too low & the work wants to climb up the blade. But too high leaves a lot of exposed blade with nothing there to cut but you.
Use a push stick whenever you get under a certain width. I draw the line at 3-1/2", but that is where I am comfortable & feel I have a margin of error. Others will use a different width. I'm probably the widest of the guys I have worked with. I saw one boss almost get cut in half while free handing plywood corner braces. And another lead man who never got seriously hurt, but scared the rest of us with the things he did & how close his fingers would come to the blade. That guy eventually set up his own shop & bought one of those
saw stop saws (Hot dog saw
video). He has had the brake engage a couple of times. After only working with the old style table saws I can still count to ten with my shoes on. Good Lord willing that will continue. Buy or make a good push stick that you are comfortable with. I like a boot shaped push stick. It's different than most. But the force applied isn't towards the blade. The "heel" catches on the back of the board. The "toe" holds the board down a little ahead. The "ankle" handhold is above the blade.
A blade that should be cutting wood can become a drive wheel when lumber gets loose or jammed. Keep your work tight to the fence. Keep control of it.
Be aware of a "trapped arrow". That's a narrow piece of loose wood between the blade & the fence. It can come back with amazing force. I worked with a guy who was cutting lots of repetitive pieces. He was using a push stick, but got careless & didn't completely clear the blade with the material before lifting the push stick. He took it hard in the hip.
Wow. I guess it never ends. I could keep going. I still think getting some instruction from an experienced woodworker is a better plan.
And no 'hold my beer while I rip through this lot' please....