I always try and keep my boots on in case I need to run to the bathroom. I hate to stub my toe. And always wear clean socks in case you are in an accident.
Oh, the visuals! And I caught that "clean socks" versus underwear. I guess for a guy with the handle Porknbeaner clean underwear is out.
I went commando for years. My angle on th whole clean underwear thing has always been if you are in an accident bad enough to need to have clean ones on that they will probably get soiled anyway. Here is something to think about, if you are going to punch a big hole try and get the piece to a drill press or like machine. Think 3" hole saw and fron bumper if you have a problem getting what I am saying.
I think that I learned too long ago to admit, but we used to hang the chuck key on a chain around whomever's neck left it in the chuck. If you wear one for a week or so and have to bend down every time you use it you won't forget it again as a rule. If you are new to the game or a self taught machinist you may not know to always stand to one side when using a parting tool. They shatter and it is like really sharp buckshot when it hits you.
No smoking around combustibles. I knew a guy who recently lost his life lighting a cigarette after gassing up his lawnmower. He had gotten gas on his shirt and the fumes ignited when he struck his lighter. Thats an easy one that could have been avoided.
Sometimes they don't shatter into many pieces. One of the guys I used to work with broke a parting tool and it ended up in his stomach in one large piece. He didn't know it until someone asked him where all the blood came from on his shirt. He was still looking for the broken piece in the chip pan. Actually he was fortunate that it didn't shatter in that instance. I worked in a machine shop for 15 years and have a lathe at home but parting tools still make me cautious (nervous).
I got a chunk stuck in my forehead and I was about 20 feet away. I had a kid fresh out of school working in the shop and he had his head right down on the tool. I stopped him when I saw it and reminded him what he was working with, they hadn't bothered to tell him in school. I walked over to a bridgport to look at a piece and someone called me I turned just at the right time to catch a piece of the tool he shattered. The machinist I was talking to reached up and said I'll bet that hurts and pulled the piece out. It would have really hurt the kid.
*WHEEL CHOCKS* REAL ONES!!!!! It only takes once. a few years ago I was getting a friends car ready to tow. Car was on a slight sloped driveway, In park, with rocks behind the wheels. Not thinking i pulled the drive shaft...the split second i got the last bolt out, It started rolling with me under it. it rolled me over a few times and my friends dad pulled me out about 1/16th of a second before my head was under the front tire. I still feel that one today. I wish i had never done it. Stupid Stupid Stupid. I could have been killed. Needless to say I WILL NOT get under anything, Nor will i let anyone i know. Unless its on good jackstands, with REAL tire chocks under it. And i always "Jostle it a few times" to make sure its gonna stay there. Trust me, Im an absolute dick about it now. if you think your gonna "Just get under real quick" you can get the f*@k out of my shop. Because im not watching that happen to anyone else.
I have to agree with you on wheel chocks. I will be the first to admit that I am real bad to use a 2x4 or 4x4 for a chock and if your tires are very tall they will roll right over either. I do know a pretty funny story about the wheel chock issue and a driveshaft myself. Funny because it came out all right otherwise it wouldn't be funny at all. But I won't bore you with it. I don't know if it has been mentioned but good as in the very best you can by good, jackstands. This comming from a fella that has been wallered more than once. On the same vein I see fellas use 55 gallon drums to hold car bodies up when they are doing body work etc. Unless the drum has ballast in it you should probably try and find a better way to hold the body up. 55 gallon drums tip real easy when they are empty.
##It will happen when you least expect it. And my favorite: Murphy's Law: If anything can go wrong - it will. Ignore reality and it will bite you in the A$$.
Been following this thread and wanted to add: Learn BASIC FIRST AID techniques and remain calm during an emergency. While I am a believer in taking precautions, no matter how safe one is, accidents can and will happen, but knowing how to react and what proper BASIC medical procedures are can save limbs & lives. I'm a living testament to this. Wasn't in the shop, but was at school, doing a project based lesson with my 6th grade students. We were creating candles as part of a fundraiser/math project (had calculated cost of materials, volume of wax needed for each candle, price point, designed advertising, etc.), and the wax caught on fire. Luckily, because the kids had been well schooled in safety procedures, they immediately cleared the room, one ran and got the fire extinguisher and another went and called 911 (the two kids were my "safety guards" who had been assigned that role during the project). When I went to extinguish the wax, it splashed over 80% of my hand, causing 2nd degree burns. I put out the fire, and got my hand in cool water. Again, because we'd all had Basic First Aid training, we knew not to rub the area with ice (because that will strip off skin and cause greater risk of infection), but bathed the area in cool/cold water. It literally saved my hand. Had we not had this training, we could have further complicated the healing of the wound, stripped off skin, ect. I remember growing up and hearing old wives' tales about putting butter on burns, for example, which some people still believe to this day -- worst thing you could possibly do to a 2nd/3rd degree burn. Learning BASIC FIRST AID is, in my opinion, seriously required if you're going to do any work around a shop (or hell, in my case, even with craft projects ). I've got really gnarly pics, if you'd like to see them. . . but honestly, it could have been worse, much worse, if we hadn't reacted calmly, quickly and in a medically appropriate way. . . FWIW, my $.02
Miss print, Please don't take this the wrong way but I would much rather see pics without the burns. Scars are OK but no burns please. I have unfortunately had the opportunity to see some pretty horrendous things in my lifetime, most cause by foolishness either by politicians or fellow workers, and or friends. I don't even like to surf the net looking for gory stuff and I think that is almost the national past time these days. First aid is handy to know, no matter how careful we are there is bound to be an accident that we witness at some time in our lives.
My oldest daughter started a program in conjunction with our Pro Truck race team. It is called "All eyes, All ears, Always" Simply put, always protect them always have them, start them young and never let up. This after watching several little ones at the local stock car track, holding their ears, some times crying and sitting with dad and mom[sometime with ear protection] paying no attention to the little ones pain. We always carried extra foam plugs for just this reason. she is not shy about confronting people about this issue. I work in the aviation industry around jets, turboprops and helicopters all day long, I know what noise is all about, I go to the track for my quiet time! She carries a line of infant, children and adult size hearing protection[peltor] that is the same level of quality I use everyday at work. We sell dozens each year at the track, As well we have found eye protection for the little ones[yes safety glasses that will fit a 3 year old]. Whether in the shop with us, around when we are weed wacking the grass or any number of other activities, teach them when little will, and they will carry that for life, instead of being laughed at for that potential glass eye that never looks quite right. One of our fellow competitors wifes will not let the kids play with their Nerf guns with out eye protection. This stuff is not the dorky stuff we grew up with, it is new, acceptable and cool, safety becomes and easy sell. PPE at home is as important as in the work place. That little quick job should new have to become the last one you see! On a funnier note the best piece of shop safety advise I can offer is; "Don't put your fingers, where you wouldn't put your pecker", in fact this is painted on my shop wall. My pit crew guys whether at the track or in the shop will never be seen under any thing without a jack stand, at the risk of having their nuts stepped on by someone else in the crew. Zero tolerance for short cutting ppe and other safety measures Vern, with all my eyes, ears, fingers and toes!
There was a day when I would wear a full face shield to protect my glasses from damage, but never gave a second though to my eyes. I work in aviation and we go now where without ear, eye protection and a larger assortment of other safety stuff. In the beginning the influx of some of this stuff seamed like bullshit to us but now the same guys who thought that are the ones inplementing these same thing that were bs before. Nothing starts without a tool box meeting. Even in the race shop, if we are doing something like transferring fuel in to race truck, there is a plan as to what happens if we have an incident, who, what and how it will be dealt with. Vern
I was heavy maintenence super for a paving company once. I did a lot of work out in the field and in the shop. I had an apprentice go out in the field for a broken mount repair on a pavement grinder once. The operators had cleaned it up as much as possible but it was still dirty. I hand the apprentice the fire extinguisher and get ready to start welding. he said he didn't know how to use one so I gave him a quick run down, the operators were right there so I wasn't worried. And I twisted myself into the hole to weld. The kid says to one of the operators, so if it catches fire what do we do first try and pull him out or put it out. The operator said if there is a fire I'll pull benno out and you put him out, let the equipment burn. Never ever work without an escape plan.
Fire Training, Why? When? Years ago in my race shop, we were working on a daily driver, just did an engine change and it was being a pain, hey we will just prime it. These can be famous last word, and we have likely all done it! Well, pour, spill, back fire, shit! It's running, and burning, my wife looks at me as I try to smother it. She calmly picks up the wall mounted extiguisher and one shot later, it's out , and I am white and coughing. We have both had extiguisher training several times and are comfortable when faced with this type of thing. The time to read the instructions on the extiguisher is before the fire starts! As we clean uo the mess we chat about what could have been , and that we have a extiguisher that is off charge, what to do. Well my daughters were 8 and 10 at the time and we aggreed that now was the time. That first time you pull the trigger on one can be intimidating and a bit scary. We setup a very controled senario in front of our shop with the girls, walked them through it several times, the went live fire. A couple of shop rags and a small trail of gas[aerosol paint can lid full] later and the oldest one puts it out, we debreif and have a second go at it. Gains=comfort and knowledge. Now on to the second girl, ready, set, ignition, pull the trigger and cough=nothing. she looks at me and her mother with an odd look on her face and my wife simply says"It' still burning", about a heart beat later this little 8 year old blonde bolts in to the house and comes out with the kitchen one and puts out the fire. Well now we got two dead extingishers but most importantly, two children who have a very useful skill, Fast forward 10 years or so, my youngest one comes home from work, the lady next door is pouring gas in to her running riding mower. Things went south in a hurry. Puff, scream, profanities, more screams, spray, fires out. Later in the day the lady next door said to me ,your girl walked aroud the corner of the shop fence and just simply used the extigisher like she did it everyday, she was so calm. The lady was still shaking hours later. She later told me she had never owned or even had held an extinguisherbefore, [she now owns several and has had training] When I asked my daughter about it, she just said"Thanks, dad" Don't leave showing them how it works until you wish you had! Vern
Fires can get real nasty real quick. I still like Halon or CO2 in the garage. Easier to clean up. But, both can be real dangerous in the wrong hands or situation. CO2 builds static at the nozzle aside from being cold enough to cause instant frost bite and halon converts to Phosgene (sp) @1200 degrees as well as being an oxygen suppressant. So you can get a lung full of mustard gas if your fire burns hot enough and suffocate in an enclosed environment. Something else that hasn't been mentioned I don't think is mixing chemicals and or cleaners. Some of them have a real negative reaction when mixed with other things that are not what we would consider compatible. Just off the top of my head and one that no one would mix is chlorine and amonia. By product is chlorine gas.
Even when we have our race trucks up on stands the wheels/tire assembly get slid under the chassis, yes stands are great, but I have seen more than one vehicle get knocked off them. Vern
One of the vehicles that wallered me was on stands prior to jumping on top of me. it happens. Something that I am the worse in the world about not practicing. One should not work alone. I have done it for years and been darned lucky when I have had an accident that someone happened along or I was able to take myself to get help. It is more common for people to not be able to take themselves for help than it is to be able to go for help after an accident.
how about very basic oxy/fuel safety.... most have hot wrenches around the shop.... how many crack the valves before installing the regulators on a fresh tank,,,, ( "cracking" for the older crowd ) or open and close the valves slowly and completley to seal the valve packing. I had a buddy tell me how fast he goes thru bottles , even if he was not using them....?
Always wear leather gloves when polishing trim pieces, especially stainless, on a loose cotton buffing wheel. I use 10" loose cotton buffs on a 3/4 hp Baldor buffer. Recently I violated this rule --resulting in a painful and expensive trip to urgent care. The buffer caught an edge of the headlight ring i was polishing and whipped my ass with it. Actually it seriously tore open my right bird finger, 95% better after about 2 mos.
Never and i mean never, goose anyone with an air hose! A fellow who worked with me at a mobile home factory was "goosed" with an air hose, about 150 psi. The air inflated and burst his colon in multiple places. He lived, but with permanent problems. If your wife ever says "oh, go jump out of an airplane", be sure ya have a parachute
Air hose or not we all have a tendency to play grab ass (as one of my employers called it) in the shop. Sometimes you get away with it. Someone once said its all fun until someone gets an eye put out. Sometimes the results are pretty funny. The missus dropped a bug down the back of my pants once while I was squated down with my head in a fender well working on some brakes. I jumped and hit the back of my head on the fender, then jerked and hit my forhead on the brake and so on and so forth. Pretty damned funny like the 3 stooges funny. Another time was adjusting the heads on a gang drill. A fella walked up and goosed me for laughs. I shoved my hand onto a brand new carbide champher bit, not funny at all. Like 12 stitches not funny. Fun is fun, just watch real close when you decide to have it.
When things were slow in the machine shop years ago we would get loaned out to life support unit where they rebuilt aircraft oxygen equipment. I was testing O2 shut off valves for F111s one day using 2000 psi and some yokel walked up and hit the back of the test cabinet with a rubber mallet. You had to reach into the cabinet to trip the shut off which I was doing at the exact moment he hit the back of the cabinet. He thought it was really funny until I started chasing him with a 32 ounce ballpeen hammer. Fun is fun but not when someone is doing something dangerous. Luckily some of the guys were able to restrain me until I calmed down.
Great thread, Just a caution to those who dont know what Napthalene is, "Mothballs" That chemical vapor that you smell is the toxin vapor going into your lungs. Liver/kidney damage as earler posted and is also very dangerous to pets,children and pregnant women. At every car show I go to I can always smell the car that uses mothballs for mice, I could not imagine breathing that vapor.
You are absolutely correct. Ee used to use a pretty stuot concentrate of napthelene to clean part with in the saw mills when I was a kid. Never knew why some of those old timers were so poor all the time. You have a lot of knowlege on chemicals and the use of them maybe you could give a little more insite. What is safe and what is not the pit falls for the ametures. Actually a lot of what you use on a dailey basis for pest problems sometimes we can get our hands on, not legal I know but it happens.
I worked at the local VW dealer in the mid 60's.they had a problem with the brakes squealing,so every VW that came in for service got all four drums blown out.there would be clouds of brake dust in the shop. it's a wonder we never thought about safety back then.
The Jalopy Journal
