Safety Police

[wrmiller]

This would be someone who has never touched or used a tool, or someone who was limited by the length of the anti-theft lanyard at the big box store.

No, this would be me...

 

[Rustrp]

His finger looked like someone had attacked him with a church key. I was feeling sympathy for him and asked; How did that happen? He said; I was drilling a 1/2" hole through the piece of plate, and the curl coming of the drill bit was getting longer so I reached out to pull it off. Me being the kind hearted SSgt. I was said; Here I was almost feeling sorry for you! I have no idea how he could spend seven plus years in a metal shop and not have this safety lesson.

I still wonder how the USAF being as specialized in career fields as they are, thought the metal shop was a place for OJT training. This is one reason someone with bad habits, teaching others, isn't a good thing. I'm sure this was covered in the detailed corrspondence cources and his lesson learned could have been worse.

 

[Bob Korves]

I used to keep my drill press chuck key on the end of a fairly substantial chain, attached to the head. It never went missing. One day it occurred to me what could happen if the spindle was turned on while the chained key was still in the chuck. I immediately removed the chain from the key...

 

[Rustrp]

It never went missing. One day it occurred to me what could happen if the spindle was turned on while the chained key was still in the chuck.

....and that is the lesson. We hope it never goes past "what could happen if."

One item that I haven't seen mentioned is flammable liquids safety. In clean-up and restoration we use flammabe liquids, and some more flammable than others. Anyone doing so needs to be alert to the dangers of storing and using these. The inhalation of fumes along with the fire dangers need to be considered, especially for us older guys who think we are really healthy. Lungs, I'm thinking lungs!

This past Thanksgiving weekend I decided to work and when I came into the shop I smelled a stale varnish/old gasoline odor in the shop. Within thirty minutes I was sneezing, but I have alllergies so I chalked it up to that. I was becoming more irritated at the tenant on the opposite wall from my shop who has a motorsports tune-up business and whatever he had over there needed to go. I opened the roll-up, turned a couple of fans on (it was chilly but I needed fresh air) and things got better but not so much that after a couple of hours my nose was runny, drippy and at time a faucet.

I kept looking in my shop wondering from what or where the fumes were coming from. I have my portable welder parked in the corner and I haven't used it for a year or more. I discover the gas tank has corroded, sprung a leak and there was a 3' dia. puddle of stale gasoline around it. I got the welder moved to the door and got everything cleaned up, leaving a layer of Simple Green to sit over night.

I'm still not connecting the fumes to my sneezy runny nose condition so I stop by the store on my way home and get every cold, flu and allergy remedy I don't already have. I'm feeling really miserable so I even got the expensive Zicam nose swabs, just in case. At 2:00 a.m. the next morning I wake up feeling good. The Zicam s*^#$ really works, fist pump! I came back in the next day and then it struck home how ugly, really UGLY the scene could have gotten, had I started up a welding project. It took a little longer to realize the health issue related to the fumes and how bad it really was.

A little long winded but I thought I would pass it on.

 

[Ken from ontario]

Yeah, but we hobby machinists talk to ourselves all the time. We even caution ourselves, too. This is normal for us but in the rest of the world it is called Schizophrenia.

When I'm working in my shop I listen to the radio often, mainly talk shows, on many occasions I find myself talking to the host or yelling at him for saying things that I don't agree with

 

[mikey]

I believe the prevalence of confusion and bewilderment is much higher in the hobby machinist population, Ken. At least to some degree, this explains the tendency to talk to ourselves. Talking to or at the radio is only for those of us who are intelligent enough to have an opinion!

 

[Chip Hacket]

Yeah, but we hobby machinists talk to ourselves all the time. We even caution ourselves, too. This is normal for us but in the rest of the world it is called Schizophrenia.

I recently came home from a very difficult and stressful job at a customers site. As I was approaching my car in the airport parking lot I began talking to it like it was a long lost love. Sometimes in my shop if a piece comes out looking good I will compliment said piece.

I think Schizophrenia gets a bad rap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rustrp]

I think Schizophrenia gets a bad rap.

In many cases this happens to be a person with a high degree of intelligence and no one to share it with.

 

[Silverbullet]

I've posted a few times or so on here. I'm very SAFTEY conscious for everyone, when my shop teacher way back in time he stressed it every day on every type of machine and more. Mr MontGomery , was an old time machinist teaching in our vocational school. In the years he taught before dying in our shop class his power is still working through me. He took time with all of us discussing our projects ways to do them but not limiting us in anyway to try anything safely. So I guess he's my reason for speaking out to do things safely. Some of the YouTube machinist scare me to death I can see Keith center getting his chinny tail caught and grinding his face up. Others too. Some are very good with SAFTEY abom 79 , Mr Pete. Oxtool. To name a few. There's just no room for getting hurt by not being safe. Keep safe fingers don't grow back , hearing when lost sucks ( lost one side to virus) , so I know about losing the ability to walk now even sitting upright. I didn't do anything wrong and ended up screwed for over thirty seven years now. Please take care of yourself and others life like mine ain't even life. Went from making $25,000. A year in 1979 , to getting $500. A month with a wife and two babies , so do it for them if not yourself.

 

[vtcnc]

So what about the person who has never had an accident with any kind of tool, power or otherwise? Some (most) call it dumb luck, but I beg to differ. 'Dumb' has nothing to do with it. On the other hand, ignorance, arrogance, and dumb can contribute to accidents. I've always thought the word 'accident' is the wrong word to describe mishaps though. JMO...

And I agree with some posts here in that the way unsolicited 'safety suggestions' are worded can have a huge impact on how they are taken.

^^^this is important to re-read..

Most accidents that happen to a person are preventable and are not accidents at all but are in fact probable outcomes. Anyone that has said, "I told you so", has probably been labeled a Safety Cop, but the reality is that they are an Injury Predictor - they see it coming a mile away.

This is where good shop practices come into play. Maybe the sub forum could be focused on a list of good safe and proven practices for newbies and vets alike while discussing the potential injuries if the practices are not adopted.

"True" accidents that you cant see coming, a light fixture falling from the ceiling, a person passing out due to an unknown medical issue, a spindle crash due to mechanical failure are very difficult to avoid without prevention and prediction plans in place.

Guy I know lost two fingers in the elbow of a backhoe arm while changing out the cylinder. He used nylon straps to lift the arm. The straps were frayed and let go at the exact moment he put his fingers in the holes of the elbow to check alignment. There was a pile of chains sitting in the bucket.