Thread: Casualty List

Darryl,

Every weekend!!!! Only little things (havent hit bone yet - touch wood) but I always seem to end up with some injury. Todays is a very, very sore back and I did not even lift anything heavy

And I know what you mean about those Mortise Chisels - sharp little buggers. Guess they would not be any good if they werent.

And the worst thing is you cannot moan about it to SWMBO otherwise you get the "Well don't play with your tools then - come up and talk to me instead." sheesh

I'm a lucky guy I guess - my better half does a nice job of patching up the injuries and dishing out the sympathy. We have one hell of a first aid kit - and it's well used She should be pretty good with it I guess - her mum is a nurse and her dad is a doctor. Considering how accident prone I am she was a damn good choice

No you're not alone. It seems that the chisels are after us. I too was bitten by a 19mm Marple in the left thumb. I was moving some tools out of the way on the bench and was distracted by SHMBO coming in the garage. I agree that Chisel cuts bleed profusely. Blood all over the router table.

Glad I don't yet have a mortiser. TES cuts in... What did I just type. I must have been in pain or something.

Everyone needs a Mortiser.. I just need a few other things ahead in priority such as a decent table saw.....

Greg

Darryl,
last weekend whilst using my belt sander. http://www.timbecon.com.au/productsd...1&prodid=28023. it grabbed the very small piece I was holding and my knuckle scrapped on the belt going at full pelt. I know I shouldn't have being holding that small piece with my hands but it was one of those 2 second job's :mad: that will lern me .It wasn't much of an injury but it is still sore to bend my finger.
Regards Vasco

I find that if I haven't nicked or cut myself at least once a day I either haven't been in the workshop or I have done something wrong.

I realise that this thread is written with a touch of humour. However, I wonder whether there isn't a more serious side to Darryl's question?

It seems to me that the attitude that a minor nick or scratch is normal and nothing to be concerned with is flawed logic.

No big deal

I know I shouldn't have being holding that small piece with my hands but...

Heck - do we only pay attention when a finger is lost, or a wayward chisel penetrates the wall of our stomach?

In OHS parlance, a near miss is treaded as the real thing. If we don't pay attention to this so called minor incident, then we are inviting a serious injury. These are wakeup calls. Treat them with concern and respect. Why did the minor incident occur? What can we learn about our procedures that can be avoided next time around? What practice do we need to address immediately before that "minor incident" turns into a real disaster?

Minor incidents are no joking matter!

You have nothing up on me. I am a cluts with all his fingers.
I have had 37 broken bones and over 200 stiches. I have had burns and injured every think on my body.
The latest dumb thing I did this last week was putting on my jeans.
Yes, I said jeans. I put them on standing up. Sometimes I walk into them. I am 6'-1" tall and 265 pounds. I know you use stones. Thats well we will not go there. I was walking down the hall putting on the jeans. I lost my ballance because my foot hit the crotch and not the whole where the foot goes. Mind you I have a size 12 shoe. Do you think I let go of the pants. Nope. I held on like I was going over board. Even with a sock on I split half the nail on my right big toe right off. No I did not fall. If I look at a tool I bleed. I fall off roofs because of a bad ear. The list never ends. So if you think you are a cluts just remember this Yank. Have a laugh, It helps.
Proper setup and work bench will keep you from ......

Fellas,
I'm with the Canuck on this one. I work with power tools for a living (plus walk on unfinished roofs, use chainsaws, explosive powered tools etc etc) and frankly, if accidents were as commonplace on my jobs as they seem to be in your workshops then I'd be 6' under by now (sorry, 1830mm). "Incidents" or near misses are a warning to change work practices and even minor accidents should be analysed seriously. Can your family afford for you to be in a weelchair for 6 months? Will you be able to make a living with a few fingers missing? Sorry to come over all heavy but I've had to give first aid to a few industrial accident victims and it ain't fun.
Be safe everyone-please.

Mick

My favourite (not) thing is splinters, I always swear to wear gloves when handling rough timber but often loose them or just plain forget.

I often manage to produce a splinter from DAR timber though and at the weekend got a nasty one deep into the tip of my little finger, amazing how something so small can cause so much discomfort.

It was in just too deep to get all the splinter out and it broke off , I’ll have to wait for it to grow out now I guess

Dave

Not woodwork related but...................

My son was doing "the way light works' in physics at school, so I thought that Id make him a prism from quartz crystal.
I had almost finished polishing it on the polising machine, when I presented the prism to the felt wheel in the wrong direction.
Wham....................it bit into the felt and was driven down onto my finger at 100 mph.
Luckily the bone stopped it from going all the way through.
It took 12 monthe before I could use it properly again, and it still hurts now and again after 3 years.
My first though was, I hope the prism didnt break.
Its now nice and bent, just right for hooking those boogers that are hard to reach.

Al

Thank goodness for Mick and DPB, I was starting to get embarrassed because it's been such a long time since I hurt myself while using tools!!

Of course it helps when all the equipment is in storage and you spend every spare minute cleaning stuff instead of using it, but one of the reasons I am in recess from projects at the moment is that I am trying to fit out the shed in one go, and get everything clean, neat, and safe..... I really would love to be able to play all of the notes on one of the instruments I will one-day produce!

The other reason is that my wrist is playing up after a bit of a rollerblade prang, well it was almost better, then I fell off my bike....and it needs to get a bit stronger before I can use it!!



Cheers,

P

sounds to me like there are a few people using this forum who could do with checking their tetanus shots are up to date.

I've watched my Dad hurt himself in the most amazing ways you can imagine over the years. He's cooked his hand with an oxy torch, driven fencing wire 6 inches under the skin of his forearm, took a chunk out of his shin with an axe, tore his side with a claw hammer, ripped his scalp open falling off a chair onto the back of a fridge - even drilled a 3/8" hole half way through his palm!

Nothing like a bad example to make you think twice I guess

Sensible precautions are mostly preventing me fulfilling the worst of my genetic predisposition I got a bunch of splinters in my hands the other weekend, so I went and bought 3 pairs of gloves (so I can always find one of them). The chisel accident on the weekend will mean I'll change my technique to try and avoid doing it again. I'm a lot more careful with power tools - just seems the hand tools keep biting me.

No need for paranoia - sometimes that's actually counterproductive IMHO - but no need for carelessness either.

I also drove a Stanley knife blade, all the way home into my wrist.
Ouch it did hurt.

Al