Safety first

[Kenny O]

A tragic end to a brilliant future.

http://www.nytimes.c...ident.html?_r=2

Safety is a personal endeavor, we must police ourselves . I wonder how many times she was told to, "Tie up the hair"? It was drilled into us monthly, with ugly safety videos. Long hair was popular on men at the time. With few females in the trade, there were all men in the films who had merely been scalped.

[Steve Sells]

My hair is way past shoulder length, I do wear mine tied up in a tail. A while ago, my half sister in Texas, was scalped when she had her hair get caught, (and she was the first successful scalp transplant) at work when her long hair was pulled into her machine at work. This is nothing to laugh at. thanks for posting it.

[Willis]

I also have long hair. In the shop I wear a cap or have my wife block it for me in the 1700's style. That keeps it up off my collar and out of the way.

[Marksnagel]

As prior military I always have my hair in a crew cut. But your posting reminds us that any loose article can be hazardous. Long sleeves not buttoned, loose fitting gloves, loose apron, loose anything. It is a sobering reminder when we hear about someone elses loss or accident. Let us not take these hazards lightly.
Thanks for reminding us Kenny.

Mark<><

[macbruce]

Had a friend or mine lose an eye because of the ''loose'' factor.........Polishing chain in a 3hp pedestal grinder with a 12'' wire wheel.....The brush snatched a 5/16'' chain out of his hands, wrapped around the arbor then at 30 revs. per second the tag end(s) re arranged his face.......holding on to the chain would have been worse. The only safe way to polish chain with a pedestal grinder/wire wheel is to wrap it around a board and fasten each end or bad day.............mb

[Ramsberg]

Willis, would you post a photo of the 1700's hair blocked hair style that you use.

[Caius]

just goes to show, all that annoying reminding my shop teacher did wasnt just to aggravate us. my hair is long, but only nose and collar length, and i usually wear a cap or my stetson when working.

[Marksnagel]

My shop teacher was missing 2 and a half fingers on one hand. What a graphic example that was. Made us think though.

Mark<><

[Bentiron1946]

Yeah, I am thankful for my old shop teacher and all his hard ***** rules too. It has kept me with all my fingers, toes and eyes all these years. I still have scars from close calls but he made sure we all survived his classes. There are two things that we were deficient in and that was hearing and lung protection. Back in the sixties no one every gave much thought to those two things. Now I say "What?" and have a slight cough from all that crap I have inhaled but that could come from living in the West too. I have recently taken a jewelry class and watched these gals with their long hair at the drill press and given them the nickle lecture about putting it up under a cap or tyeing it back but they weren't much interested in listening to an old phart. :(

[macbruce]

I'm an old poot too........I was at a BS meeting in the UK a wile back and observed a young bloke wailing away at the anvil with a cutoff tool in the hardy......I told him of the hazards involved and was told to ''buzz off mate''...........:angry:

[Glenn]

We always push safety on IForgeIron. I have seen some folks take the advice and other folks that will insist that "they know what they are doing". If you do not step up and try to warn them, then step back so you do not get splattered with blood, and warn them from a safe distance.

[macbruce]

We always push safety on IForgeIron.

I must admit I had wicked thoughts after my scolding.......It would have been real satisfying to see the guy have a near miss.........:P

[Kenny O]

The first machine class I endeavored upon, our eyes were directed to a hole in the wall where the sun shone through;

"That's where the chuck key went through the wall, if any one is seen with there hand off the key while the key is in the chuck, you are done for the day"



That hole was about 50' from its launch point, it was a sheet metal building, but it still was impressive. So much can go wrong, so fast.

Eternal vigilance is my friend.

[Bentiron1946]

"So much can go wrong, so fast."..................Ain't that the truth! That poor girl sure didn't expect to die on a quick trip to the lathe, I didn't expect to get 13 stitches in my finger or nearly cut the tip of my thumb off but with power tools it happens so fast. I never expected to get shards of steel in my eye when I raised my face shield either, I should have looked to see who, if anyone, was around me. That was an expensive trip to emergency. We are responsible for our own safety and to a certain extent that of those around us, we can only advise them. My oldest boy likes to tailgate, I admonish him all the time about how a "gator" changed my life and does he want to be responsible for a life changing event. He always assures me he knows what he is doing, he is a fool to think that. Making mistakes is one of the best teachers, from my thirteen stitches I have learned to always use a drill press vise, from nearly getting the tip of my thumb cut off not to to free hand cut on a table saw and from raising my face mask while grinding in a crowd to get away from the crowd and be more observant of my surroundings. That poor girl learned on the way down to tie her back and that was to late. Her lesson is ours if we choose to follow it, keep your long hair tied back, your beard tucked in, your shirt tucked in, your sleeves buttoned, nothing loose around turning machinery, it'll suck you into danger.

[Steve Sells]

to add, in my shop I have a box (I paid $12.50) of 10 pair of plastic safety glasses, for loaners for visitors. Neighbors, both adults and kids, like to stop by and watch. As long as they stay behind the line in the floor, and wear the glasses they are welcome. Once in a while I get some big mouth know it all that wont wear them. So that is when they are told either they will wear them or they can leave, NOW. They are upset with me, but they are alive and well enough to BE upset with me. They may learn the hard way some day... but it wont happen today in my shop if I can prevent it.

[Bentiron1946]

That's a good idea. There is one thing that used to bother me a lot and that is folk that would stop by while I was welding and stand by and watch. I had a friend in the Navy that loved to watch the arc all the time. The yard bird welders hated to have this kid on fire watch because he wouldn't turn his back like he was supposed to or if he did while their hood was down he'd turn and watch the arc. He liked the yellow and purple clouds that remained as and after vision from the arc. Well one day that's all he had left, yellow and purple clouds, he had that image burned on his retina permanently forever. He just wouldn't listen to anybody about it. That's a heck of a way to get a disability pension from the Navy.
Oh yeah, I did have spare foam ear plugs for visitors when I was doing a lot of grinding. I lost enough hearing over the years to loud noise. Hearing is something else that don't grow back once lost either.