Thread: Before you start........Do a SAfety Check

Rule #1 always wear your thinking cap!

As a general rules in my workshop if your safety glass aint on or have loose clothing and uncovered foot wear... your not in my workspace, out you go!

My son had spent the early part of the afternoon waiting to be picked up by a friends parents to go swimming - they were late and we thought they were not coming.

They turned up and his young mate said the reason they were late was that his uncle (a chippie) put a circular saw through his left hand - took off a finger and parts of two other.

Last week I was breaking up concrete for my new basement workshop - using a sledgie - but I always wear safety glasses. hit some concrete and a chip bounced off the glasses on my right eye.

Yep you can never be too safe.

Cheers

I never go on site without my hard hat....Its built in see..

but seriously, I hardly do any work know without my yellow tinted safety glasses. The amount of times they have saved me (at home or work) is not funny at all. Only time I really take them off is to put the Bolle's on in the truck and when driving the excavator. The curvature of some safety glasses lenses seems to affect my ability to judge distance when operating machinery, which can be a little bit of a problem when digging up water mains, power, telephone, gas, Optusnet etc...Dial before you dig

A 4" angle grinder with the guard removed is about the most dangerous piece power tool you can own.

When freehand routing I try and always operate in plunge mode so as soon as I stop the bit is retracted, it makes things safer I reckon..and last but not least (except for the foily) is always make sure your trigger lock is off before powering up the belt sander... (tim the toolman trick)

Cheers

Spent 25 years in the international oil industry and had it beaten into me that safety came before everything else. It was a good company and they meant it. Within 6 months of retiring to my woodwork shop a moments lapse in concentration resulted in a buzzzed off finger top. Really got my attention. This machinery really doesn't care what you feed it. Wood or flesh - it's impartial. After that one (lucky) lapse, I'm now very vigilant. One interesting story maybe worth mentioning as a kind of "beware" example - I was cutting a marri plank on the table saw when it hit a hitten gum vein (in WA marri is often called "gummy" or red gum - it can have lots of gum pockets). Anyway, the brittle gum "exploded" into shrapnel shards - which came straight at my face - within (i.e., less than) the blink of an eye. Without my safety glasses - who knows. As my old company used to say - "safety is job 1".

Originally Posted by vsquizz

The curvature of some safety glasses lenses seems to affect my ability to judge distance when operating machinery

Mr Squizz, what are describing is negated by the use of good quality eyewear, here comes the free plug for my mate Doug Phillips who owns the sunglasses company Spotters.
Whilst very cheap eyewear uses a flat surface this will cause distortion, this can be overcome by applying what is called a six or eight base curve on the lens, this follows the contour of the eyeball and the distance between optics and eyeball is close to constant.
The negative aspect is the price, I have 3 pairs (I write his trade reviews for him) and they cost somewhere in the region of $300-400 a pair but, they are glass or CR39, photochromic and polarised.
Whilst optically Bolle are good unfortunately the lens are acrylic which gives them a very limited life, ie, they scratch very easily.
If you can find a well known brand of safety glasses I think you will find that the distortion will dissapear.

Iain, The Bolle dark safety glasses are fine for driving. With the Loader, excavator and Bobcat I wear the yellow shooting style safety glasses and exactly what you said; the lenses scratch way too easily. I find I can't wear dark glasses in the machines because it cuts my peripheral vision too much. The Bobcat is most dangerous when loading trucks as the dust, gravel, sand etc always ends up rolling off the top into your lap.

I'm generally spending about $30/month on safety glasses so maybe I should be looking around at something better. As I said some of the safety glasses seem to impair my ability to judge distance, most so when operating the excavator at full reach.

The Opto says my vision is fine.

Nice hijack though.

Cheers

Well, I spent two hours in the shed last night (too bloody hot in the day). Did not touch a power tool. Just a few hours sharpening and planing some boards square and cuttign them to size. Any safety concerns there? You wouldnt think so, but I managed to whack my hip on the bloody metal vise which hurt, and bruised, like buggery.

Squizzy,
I also use the Bolle safety sunnies. There are clear lense versions available also, and replacement lenses for all of them. Most shops won't tell you this when you come in to buy a fresh pair every few weeks but they are available, they just snap in. I had a go at bobcat driving for a week, thought I might take it up to ease the pressure on my bad shoulder, but a week was enough to cure me . So I know what you mean about all the crap ending up on your lap.

Have a look at the Uvex safety goggles. They've got replaceable polycarbonate lenses and a silicone seal that moulds to your face. There's a vent that runs around them which works very well, I can wear them in the heat and humidity here without them fogging. They will keep almost everything out. We use them in the rural fire brigade, a different version with a red silicone seal and no vents. The lense on all models is curved and I haven't noticed any distortion. They were originally developed for the last gulf war. If you look at the news footage of the current mess in the middle east, you'll see the US soldiers wearing them. They're also extremely robust, I got an old lense (too scratched to use) and flogged it with my estwing on the concrete. Dented it all up but no cracks, so I'm pretty confident it will stop most things that tools or machinery spit out.

Mick

Just had an e-mail from my step-son in Kiwiland which said 'He was using and electric drill into aluminium and the bit broke and went into his thumb and out the other side.
'Obviously the bit was blunt otherwise he wouldn't have had to force it so much the bit broke and secondly he was obviously holding the work piece in his hand to be in the line of fire.
There are always multiple lessons in any accident.

It appears that most of us use safety glasses and ear protection, but an accident a few years ago encouraged me to add to that. I was lifting some heavy oak boards which had been machined to about 5' x 9"x6". I was holding one in the vertical and it slipped through my hands and dropped about 2' onto my left foot,,,wearing only trainers,, the result was very badly splintered hands and a very bruised big toe which had taken most of the fall.

I dont think Ive ever experienced pain like it in my life and even now when I think of it it makes me shudder.
Since then, I always wear steel protected footwear in the shop and cowhide gloves if Im moving any timber. Gloves come off when I use machinery though.
I also used to wear a heavy linked gold bracelette but noticed once how close the safety chain was hanging to the table saw blade,,,very worrying,, so that hasnt been worn since.
beejay1

http://community.webshots.com/user/eunos9

Originally Posted by beejay1

and a very bruised big toe which had taken most of the fall.

At this point you would have to assess the cost of medical treatment versus the price of a damaged board
incidentally, been there done that with a broken big toe, god that hurts

Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

Have a look at the Uvex safety goggles. They've got replaceable polycarbonate lenses and a silicone seal that moulds to your face. There's a vent that runs around them which works very well, I can wear them in the heat and humidity here without them fogging. They will keep almost everything out. We use them in the rural fire brigade, a different version with a red silicone seal and no vents. The lense on all models is curved and I haven't noticed any distortion. They were originally developed for the last gulf war. If you look at the news footage of the current mess in the middle east, you'll see the US soldiers wearing them. They're also extremely robust, I got an old lense (too scratched to use) and flogged it with my estwing on the concrete. Dented it all up but no cracks, so I'm pretty confident it will stop most things that tools or machinery spit out.

Mick

There the ones I get at work, the "skyper" series.
With the heat and humidity we get at work they do fog, but its not your normal type enviroment... the clear lense's are good if you work under sodium vapour lights, I used to get very sore/dry eyes on night shifts until we changed to the skypers.

Wanting to pass the torch on ........................ Anyone up for bloackhead of the wEEK THIS WEEK?

reGARDS LoU :eek:

Originally Posted by Iain

incidentally, been there done that with a broken big toe, god that hurts

I'll see your broken toe and raise you a case of gout