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Sometimes, if you're distracted or worried about something or just daydreaming.....best to take a break and come back to an "iffy" task later on. You have to be "in the moment" and focused....not thinking about that electric bill or your daughter's shady boyfriend. We had a guy on the Navy Depot flight line get ingested into the intake of an F-14 doing runups one night.... He said he was thinking about grabbing a smoke at break time and got in the wrong place at the wrong time. He said he knew he had F'ed up when his windbreaker jacket started lifting up around his face and his feet left the ground.
The anti-FOD equipment in the intake and the windbreaker saved him -- and one sharp plane captain that cut power nearly instantly. The guy's nickname was "Snake" and he suffered a fractured elbow. Investigators said he was the luckiest person they'd met. Such things usually result in death or at least eyeballs sucked out of your head... This is an A-6, F-14s are more powerful -- this guy lived too.
Two other cautions: 1. When being trained on dangerous equipment, don't automatically assume your instructor has your best interests in mind or even knows what he's doing. 2. When using someone else's equipment, don't assume it's maintained as you would maintain your own equipment.
Back in the mid-70's, my wife said she'd like to learn how to do woodworking so I signed us both up for a beginner's community education class. She was using the table saw for the first time when the piece of oak she was cutting started to smoke, I'm guessing due to a dull blade. In a split second before she could back the wood out, the blade grabbed the piece and somehow pulled her hand near the blade, nicking her thumb knuckle. Lots of blood and a white, gross-looking exposed knuckle. The instructor came over, looked at her injury and walked away, saying, "Women shouldn't be allowed to take this class." Several class members got some rags to wrap up my wife's hand and helped me walk her out to the car. I took her to the ER where they fixed her up.
As much as I would have liked to deal with that butt hook on the spot, I didn't because my main concern was my wife. However, the next day, I contacted the community education directors, explained what happened, and got the guy fired from his job.
ALWAYS take responsibility to make sure you are safe because no one cares more about your wellbeing than you. And don't automatically trust someone else's equipment.
Two other cautions: 1. When being trained on dangerous equipment, don't automatically assume your instructor has your best interests in mind or even knows what he's doing. 2. When using someone else's equipment, don't assume it's maintained as you would maintain your own equipment.
...
ALWAYS take responsibility to make sure you are safe because no one cares more about your well being than you. And don't automatically trust someone else's equipment.
Steve
Steve, this is absolutely true. Those that have spent any time in the military are probably aware of the various "Hobby" shops on many installations. They are a great place to engage in your favorite hobby, from wood working to auto repairs etc. One of the first things I learned about them is that the quality of the personnel running many of these operations, consists of who is the one person an operational unit can most afford to do without! They usually get the job.
In Hawaii I was walking around the auto hobby shop on base looking for a piece of equipment when I discovered a guy about to weld something on the back underside of his car, very close to its gas tank. I asked him to stop, which he reluctantly did as I looked closely at what he was doing. He was within inches of the gas tank and the tank appeared to have been leaking gas at some point. I asked him what his plan was if it caught fire. He looked around with a puzzled look and said, it's not gonna catch fire. I asked him where the nearest fire extinguisher was. Again he looked around and finally spotted one 30-40 feet away and pointed at it. I then asked him if it worked or had even been inspected recently. He had no idea and was getting very perturbed. At that point I told him to stop what he was doing as the shop supervisor needed to be aware of what he was about to do.
I found the (single) shop supervisor, who was busy handing out tools and asked him if he was aware of what was going on in the welding area. It was apparent he wasn't, but was reluctant to admit it and simply said he was by himself and someone had to hand out tools. As he walked off to check it out, I quickly gathered up my things and left the shop. Oh, and the fire extinguisher, it was empty and didn't have an inspection tag on it.
I got a load of gasoline in my eyes recently while under my car pulling off the fuel line to the fuel pump. I had the lines clamped Hurt like heck. Ran in the house directly to the shower. Got in with all my clothes on and flushed my eyes for about 20 minutes.
It it was non-ethanol. Don’t know if that’s better or worse than if it had been ethanol.
Be be careful in the garage. It’s a jungle out there.
Steve
ethanol is the alcohol you drink in beer/liquor etc..
Its also the main ingredient in 'hand sanitizer'
E85 contains some gasoline (not drinkable) but I think I'd rather have it on me (vodka) than pure gasoline (carcinogenic)
Steve, this is absolutely true. Those that have spent any time in the military are probably aware of the various "Hobby" shops on many installations. They are a great place to engage in your favorite hobby, from wood working to auto repairs etc. One of the first things I learned about them is that the quality of the personnel running many of these operations, consists of who is the one person an operational unit can most afford to do without! They usually get the job.
In Hawaii I was walking around the auto hobby shop on base looking for a piece of equipment when I discovered a guy about to weld something on the back underside of his car, very close to its gas tank. I asked him to stop, which he reluctantly did as I looked closely at what he was doing. He was within inches of the gas tank and the tank appeared to have been leaking gas at some point. I asked him what his plan was if it caught fire. He looked around with a puzzled look and said, it's not gonna catch fire. I asked him where the nearest fire extinguisher was. Again he looked around and finally spotted one 30-40 feet away and pointed at it. I then asked him if it worked or had even been inspected recently. He had no idea and was getting very perturbed. At that point I told him to stop what he was doing as the shop supervisor needed to be aware of what he was about to do.
I found the (single) shop supervisor, who was busy handing out tools and asked him if he was aware of what was going on in the welding area. It was apparent he wasn't, but was reluctant to admit it and simply said he was by himself and someone had to hand out tools. As he walked off to check it out, I quickly gathered up my things and left the shop. Oh, and the fire extinguisher, it was empty and didn't have an inspection tag on it.
GUSTO
I used a Coast Guard hobby shop out in CA for a few years. The guy running that shop was pretty good--he kept a close eye on people until he had a feel that they knew what they were doing. He was also happy to help with things that were two-man jobs (like an engine install). It wasn't a busy shop though, maybe 3 or 4 cars on a Saturday, so I think he knew he had a good assignment.
I was a city dweller at the time, without a decent garage of my own, but I had base privileges as a Navy reservist. So it was a good deal for me too.
I managed to get gasoline in my eye working there one day, but I knew exactly where the eye wash station was and that took care of it. I have an eye wash bottle in my garage now because of that lesson.
Two other cautions: 1. When being trained on dangerous equipment, don't automatically assume your instructor has your best interests in mind or even knows what he's doing. 2. When using someone else's equipment, don't assume it's maintained as you would maintain your own equipment.
Back in the mid-70's, my wife said she'd like to learn how to do woodworking so I signed us both up for a beginner's community education class. She was using the table saw for the first time when the piece of oak she was cutting started to smoke, I'm guessing due to a dull blade. In a split second before she could back the wood out, the blade grabbed the piece and somehow pulled her hand near the blade, nicking her thumb knuckle. Lots of blood and a white, gross-looking exposed knuckle. The instructor came over, looked at her injury and walked away, saying, "Women shouldn't be allowed to take this class." Several class members got some rags to wrap up my wife's hand and helped me walk her out to the car. I took her to the ER where they fixed her up.
As much as I would have liked to deal with that butt hook on the spot, I didn't because my main concern was my wife. However, the next day, I contacted the community education directors, explained what happened, and got the guy fired from his job.
ALWAYS take responsibility to make sure you are safe because no one cares more about your wellbeing than you. And don't automatically trust someone else's equipment.
Steve
A growing problem is a lack of tool experience with the demise of shop classes in schools. Those of us who took shop classes probably have many stories of a prank or shear ignorance and negligence by a student causing physical harm and an injury. One of the difficult tasks as a school shop Teacher and commercial shop Foreman is supervising safety and equipment maintenance. In school I had a wood and metal shop teacher who could not hear very well, but learned to read lips while serving on a submarine. Many times he would calmly walk across the shop to stop kids getting ready to damage a tool, and bragging about what they were ready to do to their buddy, while they thought the plainer noise would prevent the teacher from hearing their plan. In my personal experience as a shop Foreman there were times when good labor was hard to find and the available men were not experienced with the damage power shears and press brakes can do to a person, resulting in short finger tips or worse from men trying to work around safety guards and simply not thinking. Inexperience around hand held punches, grinders, shears, notchers, and drills is hard to believe, until you learn the Apprentice never had the option of an Industrial Arts shop class in school, and no mentor to correct bad habits when they performed mechanical repairs at home. The current shop Foreman we have are given a labor budget to fix safety hazards before they injure someone, but they say their biggest safety problem these day's is inexperience around tools, and with some people a poor attitude. Money does not correct lazy or stupid people, or people who resist patience and training.
And jewelry - always remove my watch and sometimes my wedding ring -- around hi current electricity for sure but with power tools as well..... Saw bad injuries at the Navy depot working on aircraft due to jewelry ....
I learned this the hard way in my late twenties. I was tightening the connections on my battery when my wrench touched my watch band that was touching the hold down for the battery. It welded the clasp shut on my watch instantly and although my arm was burning, I couldn't open the clasp to get the watch off. I got some pretty nasty burns from that lesson.
I learned this the hard way in my late twenties. I was tightening the connections on my battery when my wrench touched my watch band that was touching the hold down for the battery. It welded the clasp shut on my watch instantly and although my arm was burning, I couldn't open the clasp to get the watch off. I got some pretty nasty burns from that lesson.
John, I saw this happen to a friend in the 70's. His wrist went across the back of an alternator (missing the rubber cover) and welded itself. We had to use cutting pliers to remove it and to this day he has what appears to be a wristwatch tan line on his wrist. No metal watch bands for me... ever!
My son sent me a pic to warn me about something I never thought about. A guy at work was using a grinder/cut-off tool without a guard (we've all done this at one time) and the disk broke. He was severely injured but he did not lose function.
He was using a good disk and not some Harbor Freight type quality one.
I thought I should pass this along to others to hopefully prevent this from happening to anyone else.
I worked with a guy who spun a 1/2-13 hex nut past the second knuckle of his index finger with an impact wrench. The nut was stuck in the bottom of a deep-well socket, he reach in with his finger to pull it out and you know the rest of the story.
I worked with a guy who spun a 1/2-13 hex nut past the second knuckle of his index finger with an impact wrench. The nut was stuck in the bottom of a deep-well socket, he reach in with his finger to pull it out and you know the rest of the story.
I worked with a guy who spun a 1/2-13 hex nut past the second knuckle of his index finger with an impact wrench. The nut was stuck in the bottom of a deep-well socket, he reach in with his finger to pull it out and you know the rest of the story.
John, I saw this happen to a friend in the 70's. His wrist went across the back of an alternator (missing the rubber cover) and welded itself. We had to use cutting pliers to remove it and to this day he has what appears to be a wristwatch tan line on his wrist. No metal watch bands for me... ever!
GUSTO
I slipped with the wrench while tightening the battery terminal in the '66 and "welded" it to my wedding band. It turned bright red, burned the skin in a band around my finger, and I couldn't pull it off. It was a sign. Got divorced after that. She never liked my cars anyway.
I slipped with the wrench while tightening the battery terminal in the '66 and "welded" it to my wedding band. It turned bright red, burned the skin in a band around my finger, and I couldn't pull it off. It was a sign. Got divorced after that. She never liked my cars anyway.
Unfortunately, when we are in a rush, too lazy or undisciplined, or too "tough" to put safety first, we can pay grievously.
I still know guys who think that jack stands* are only for wimps, and that PPE only gets in the way.
They are right in a sense, but don't whine when you loose an appendage, functions, or your life.
(* if you haven't seen a jack fail, you've just been lucky).
Pretty much the conversation I had with my wife one night when I was changing the starter on her car. She saw the jackstands and asked why I wasn't using the hydraulic Jack to hold up the car. I explained to her about the possibility of hydraulic failure and that the Jack is used to lift the car, and the stands are used to hold the car.
Not 20 minutes later I was under the car and I heard a dull thud, it was suddenly darker, and I couldn't breathe. The center post on a jackstand failed and the car had come down on me. After a lot of panicking on her part she was able to get a floor jack under the car and lift it off of me.
I was extremely fortunate. 1, she has never been with me while I worked on cars before. 2, the jackstand still held the car just a little bit higher than the wheels. 3, she was able to get a floor jack under the car and I was still able to use my one free arm to position it so she could raise the car off of me.
In the end I had only minor injuries: some punctures and swelling in my right arm, some sore chest and back muscles, and a golf ball sized knot on my forehead.
I've replaced those "bargain" stands with much larger 6-ton stands with a secondary locking system for the telescoping post.
Now I double up on stands and still keep a floor jack in position. And I still am really uncomfortable getting under a car.
Jackstands fail too. If you're going to use some, buy GOOD stands, and still utilize a backup holding system.
Pretty much the conversation I had with my wife one night when I was changing the starter on her car. She saw the jackstands and asked why I wasn't using the hydraulic Jack to hold up the car. I explained to her about the possibility of hydraulic failure and that the Jack is used to lift the car, and the stands are used to hold the car.
Not 20 minutes later I was under the car and I heard a dull thud, it was suddenly darker, and I couldn't breathe. The center post on a jackstand failed and the car had come down on me. After a lot of panicking on her part she was able to get a floor jack under the car and lift it off of me.
I was extremely fortunate. 1, she has never been with me while I worked on cars before. 2, the jackstand still held the car just a little bit higher than the wheels. 3, she was able to get a floor jack under the car and I was still able to use my one free arm to position it so she could raise the car off of me.
In the end I had only minor injuries: some punctures and swelling in my right arm, some sore chest and back muscles, and a golf ball sized knot on my forehead.
I've replaced those "bargain" Chinese stands with American made, much larger 6-ton stands with a secondary locking system for the telescoping post.
Now I double up on stands and still keep a floor jack in position. And I still am really uncomfortable getting under a car.
Jackstands fail too. If you're going to use some, buy GOOD stands, and still utilize a backup holding system.
You are a very lucky guy, my friend. I know of 2 other guys who had jack stand accidents. One didn't survive. The other was in the hospital for months.
I'm comfortable going under my car if it's on Race Ramps with all 4 wheels still on the car and all 4 wheels blocked. I won't go under a car on jackstands unless I have at least 1, and preferably 2, backup support systems. I won't go under a car on jackstands with all 4 wheels off at all.
While stationed on active duty in Hawaii, our neighbor that lived across the street was our Base Commander. He was in his early 50's and I had known him years earlier so I knew him well, or so I thought. He'd flown helicopters in Vietnam, been shot down and crashed a few times, but an all around good guy. I also noticed that his Mother was now living with them and one day we happened to be talking about her and how it came to be. She was in her 80's and his Dad had died a few years earlier and he decided it was time for her to come and live with him and his wife.
He then proceeded to tell me that she had saved his life when he was a teenager. Of course I had to ask how she did that. He told me he was working on his car in the driveway one afternoon and while under the car something shifted and the car fell on him. His Mother either happened to hear it fall or saw it fall and came running and then bent down and picked the back of the car up enough that he was able to extricate himself from under it. His Mother was not a big woman. At this point she was a bit stooped and may have weighed 110 lbs. He told me that back then (in her 40's) she probably weighed all of 130 lbs, but her 'baby' was under that car!
I had heard and read stories of such feats of super-human strength, but until than had never actually met anyone that had experienced it, much less done it!
My dad had the habit of putting the wheels under the car when taken off---------even if jack stands were used. I picked the habit up.
Went to a friends to help replace wheel bearings. First thing I did was to stuff his wheels behind the stands. The stands failed. Barely got him out but without the car sitting on the tires he would have been dead.
My dad had the habit of putting the wheels under the car when taken off---------even if jack stands were used. I picked up the habit up.
Went to a friends to help replace wheel bearings. First thing I did was to stuff his wheels behind the stands. The stands failed. Barely got him out but without the car sitting on the tires he would have been dead.
That’s a very good idea. I’m going to start doing that.
My dad had the habit of putting the wheels under the car when taken off---------even if jack stands were used. I picked up the habit up.
Went to a friends to help replace wheel bearings. First thing I did was to stuff his wheels behind the stands. The stands failed. Barely got him out but without the car sitting on the tires he would have been dead.
I do the same thing even though I'm a bit thicker than the width of the tire and wheel. I also leave the jack in place if it won't be in my way.
07-09-2018, 07:44 AM
