Here is a quote by our friend Jimi from another thread. I think is is a good idea so I'll start with one that I know off the top of my head: Napthalene is still available and works real well for cleaning parts. It has been outlawed by OSHA in the work place because it causes cataracts as well as liver and kidney damage. I know this because at one of my last places of employ one of my duties was to seek out illegal chemicals. When they were found I was to right up a report with the hazards they posed. Note: this thread should not be confined to bad chemicals but whatever you know to be a hazard to someone building a car and if you know a way to avoid the hazard besides not doing it that would be a good thing as well.
Not chemical related, but safety glasses are BIG THING in my garage. No exceptions. I even have several pairs with the built in cheaters. My boys learned this rule when they were toddlers, and still follow it. Surprising how many guys never 'got' this no-brainer.
I'm a big fan of PPE and "Safety First" in the shop also. I'm interested to see what this thread brings. Oh and in the bed too. Wear a rubber fellers.........
Here are a few: 1. No blowing brake dust with compressed air. 2. No welding for 45mins to an hour before leaving the shop (fire watch) 3. Good jack stands. There is a story every year about a guy who learns this with his life. 4. Don't be cool like the guy on tv who just closes his eyes when welding. Your eyes matter. 5. Safety guards on tools are there for a reason. Modify them and you'll find-out why.
Funny thing I have been wearing saftey glasses for so long that I just take them for granted. Here is a thought on respirators. Almost every health hazard has a different filter. Even different kinds of paints use different filters. A particle mask may work for welding but if you are shooting emron enamel you want an entirley different type of protection. Wouldn't hurt for someone more studies than I to maybe complile a list of different filters. Something else about respirators, if you are not clean shaven they will not work and if you are going to use one you should have a lung capacity test done at least once a year. Some of us do not have the lung capacity to safley work with a filter type of respirator and need a fresh air supply instead. IE if you got COPD you should leave the painting/chemical cleaning to someone else.
I like el shad reply "Oh and in the bed too. Wear a rubber fellers......... might not be so many bumb aces out their.
Good stuff, Jake, but I weld as long as I need to. #2 is a great idea but not always a luxury I can afford. Keep in mind that my shop is spic and span most the time......
For you northern guys with garage heaters, a gas leak detector from any big box home improvement store is a good investment if you have an older heater. The heat exchangers on these crack over time and it would be nice to catch any gas leaks before you level the house.
Do NOT! use brakecleen anywhere in your shop if you are going to do any welding. Even the fumes can decompose into Phosgene gas when the go through a welding arc.....nasty stuff!
I work at a generating station that is an OSHA VPP "Star" site. My initial impression was that this culture was way over the top but now I can see how our incidents and near misses have deminished to the point of non-existence. Our new "Safe Start" program seems to help me and buddies around our own shops and I'm starting to see proper faceshields OVER safety glasses, when grinding and sanding, by friends when they are doing metal work at home or personal shops. Safety has always been utmost importance at work, but we all seem to get a little slack while working at home..........where most accidents still happen.
Hard-toe safety shoes aren't a bad idea either. Having a 5 or 10 lb. part or tool fall off the bench on to your foot isn't much fun if you are wearing "soft" shoes. Safety shoes also generally have better arch and ankle support which saves a lot of morning-after back and leg misery if you spend 8 - 10 hours on a concrete floor.
Good thread.......I'd add seeking out the MSDS (at purchase or internet) on any chemical. Knowledge is key, you can handle any chemical if you know how. As an example beach sand is a carcinogen (prop 65 in Ca)
yea ask my granddaughter about that. The raven dropped a brake backing plate on her foot one evening just coming though the door. Broke her pinky toe. How 'bout hair and moving machinery. I figured that one would have jumped out here already. I have always kept my hair pulled back when I wasn't wearing a crew cut. years ago a friends wife called me all upset. Seems the old man was turning something on the lathe out in the shop and she heard him hollering. She couldn't get him untangled from the lathe. I got there and his hair was wrapped tightly around the part and his hand was stuck between the part and his scalp. he grabbed his hair in his fist and hit the stop button but it wound him right down to the part before it stopped. he was lucky. Anyway she was a real looker as soon as I ascertained that he wasn't hurt. I turned around and layed one on her. She giggled and invited me into the house for a drink. He threatened me with some pretty heinous acts if I didn't leave her alone and get him out of there. I reversed it and rolled his hair out enough to cut it off. He was gratefull and one licky SOB. I on the other hand ended up with a real sore eyebrow, I guess I deserved it. His wife is still a looker after all theses years and we are still good friends. he still reminds me to be careful around machinery when we are together, he says it could cost you your wife, I mean life. loose clothing is as bad as too much hair.
A lot of people still siphon gas by sucking on a hose. Come on people....they sell a system at the local store that is way cheaper than having to go get your stomach pumped. Seems like non sense to most of us but there are those few out there that still think they are all that and a bag of chips.
Forget about stomach pumped the fumes will kill ya. Here is one that we don't think of much. When i first remember going to automotive garages they awere dark dismal places. I can remember being in with the old man on a saturday morning or late at night with a multi carbed or injected mill just screaming and my eyes burning from the fumes. go to a pro shop today and look at the ventilation system or the hoses running from the exhaust pipes out the garage door. Now think about your own shop. Eyes burn much?
I'll add another tip. Consider using gloves. Work gloves for general stuff, and nitrile or rubber when using any chemicals, paint, etc. Oh I know...some will disagree, as I did when my former employer required using the proper gloves for practically any task. But after awhile, you'll realize that maybe it's not such a bad idea. Sharp edges can slice bare skin pretty easily, chemicals and paint thinner can wreak havoc with your skin. Initially I thought it was a stupid idea, but after being forced to use them for quite some time, I now use them on a regular basis. I don't have to now because I'm retired, but I use them because it's a good practice.
"Screwdriver in back pocket"......a few years ago my 5 yr old was intently watching me in the garage.... when I stood up the blade almost poked his eye out and left a bruise mark on outer lid. Twenty plus years and I still cringe. No screwdrivers extending out of pockets (for many reasons)
One of my Navy 'A' school instructors told me never to stick my fingers anywhere I wouldn't put my dick.... that one's probably saved my digits a few times.
Fair enough. I would give it some smolder time before locking the door! You raise a good point about keeping a clean shop. I wonder how many of the "I broke my arm doing something cool" stories are really "I broke my arm slipping/tripping over shit I was too lazy to clean-up" stories.
Clean up after yourself, if you drop it pick it up, if you spill it wipe it up and dispose of it properly, if you use it put it back when your done and clean it off before you put it back! A guy I know's garage is like a mine field to navigate! Don't put oily rags or paper towels in a trash can and forget about them, spontaneous combustion has taken out more than a few garages! Always have a good size fire extinguisher nearby!
I worked with a machinist in the '70s that was shy one kidney from a screw driver in the back pocket. I guess he slipped on somesting that someone ehlse had spilled and not cleaned up. Pocked the screw driver right through his kidney. That gets us to another point, keep something around to soak up spills if you are not going to mop them up right away. Not just for the slip hazard but also I have dropped things and had it splash something up in my face. I has always amazed me how far a puddle of brake fluid will splash.
make sure you take those gloves off when working around twisting machinery parts. i cant count how many times my glove snagged on a screwdriver while hanging sheet rock. luckily thats a slow speed compared to your lathe or drill press. clamp metal down real good in a drill press. bit snags the material and will either spin it out of your hands or throw it across the shop. dont use a cut off wheel that is damaged and dont use it on aluminum (blows up so i have been told) keep a fire extinguisher on your welding cart. i have put out a bunch of fires from my back yard mechanics, burning grass smells great. dont overstrain an engine lift, if its rated for 1 ton only lift 1 ton. have solid footing when lifting items lift with your knees not your back, and dont twist when lifting hydrate hydrate hydrate (not beer)
I noticed that not one mention of fire extinguishers has been made. I have four in my shop and keep them checked on a regular basis. Not little ones but honest to goodness ones like you find in a commercial shop. I almost lost a pickup one time looking for a working extinguisher.
A fellow who used to rent spare space from me died when the strings from his Hoodie shirt got caught in a rotating driveshaft they were working on. (Truck garage, power take off). Careful with that loose clothng. Everything else in here I'm guilty of!
I always have to laugh when I see one of these "rod builders" in a magazine article wearing a tank top and shorts and ragged tennies. I've set myself on fire wearing coveralls with ragged cuffs too many times to count an the dog's big water tub works well to jamb a flaming foot in. Back to P&B's original post. There was a "solvent" that was used in one or two of the shops I worked in that would immediately cause me to get flush in the face when I stuck my hands in it to clean parts. I never did know what it is but I didn't like to wash parts in that shop. Naptha is basically the same stuff as charcoal lighter fluid and it was used in most shops that I worked in that didn't have Safety Clean tanks. Back when I worked in a Midas Muffler shop the shop owner/manager had us wear plastic hard hats with a green face shield that flipped up or down to cut or weld with. The one I used saved my noggin and eyes more than a few times and worked pretty well. I've got a full face shield for cutting and grinding with the angle grinders and it keeps the stuff off my face along with out of my eyes. Even in a home shop we should at least read and probably keep the msd's from any chemical product we have in the shop. knowing what to do or not to do if you get a shot of PB Blaster in the eyes might save your eyes or at least cut way down on the damage.
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