There have been a few threads lately where the projects concerned might give one pause as to health and safety.
I am not a safety professional and would never pretend to be, but given some of the stuff I've been involved with over the years the fact that I'm typing this might be evidence that I do care about it.
My background is simple, my dad worked for United Technologies during the space race and built/tested Saturn V rockets. He taught me about physics from a very practical standpoint as well as basic shop safety. Later in life I participated in things like sailing, auto racing, and burning man when it was first getting started.
Two sayings were used in my worlds "Safety Fast" and "Safety Third".
The first one was from auto racing and if you want to understand ANYTHING about materials, fasteners, fabrication or the physics of a car going around a corner please read
Carroll Smith. His "to win" books have been by my bedside for decades and I know that what he taught me definitely saved a life or two.
The second saying "Safety Third" came from my time with the Cacophony Society,
Survival Research Laboratories, and the early days of Burning Man. We were makers of things that could take your hand or your life in a split second. Without the willingness to push the boundaries most of that stuff would have never happened and it was awesome stuff.
Surprisingly, in my short internet search Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs summed it up best
here.
So, take care of yourselves and those around you. Ours is an awesome hobby but it's best when you get to show someone else the cool stuff you did....
John
