Make sure your blades are sharp. Dull blades require more pressure which results in bad slips. I used a small modified swivel knife to v cut the design and the gouge to remove the loose material or any stubborn remains.

Never have your fingers in the line of fire.

A few work related phrases used to prevent accidents since behavior is the root cause of incidents:

Keep eyes on task.
Keep eyes on path.
Tool condition, selection and use. ( correct tool for job, in good shape.)

slow and steady wins the race
use less force when carving, you don't need to go deep to get a good image
less force=less chance of slipping=fewer bandaids