Disregard for safety and common sense

[Mark A]

Thankfully the worst I remember every doing is using an Impact driver to drive a screw into a floor when the screw slipped and the drivers tip still turning landed on my finger or thumb full belt that was holding the thing I was screwing down.

I was just about to type this! Impact driver with broken-off pozi bit to the palm of my hand is the worst I've done to myself. Or bringing my head down on the pointy end of F-clamps #-o

 

[Benchwayze]

The worst accident for me was stooping down with dust pan and brush, to clear shavings from in front of my Sedgwick Planer. I straightened up and smacked the back of my head on the underside of the in-feed table. The next thing I remember was being brought round by my neighbour's wife. That bit was nice, but the egg on the back of my head was ready for boiling! :lol: OK,so that might account for my 'eccentricity'!

 

[No skills]

I wish I had pictures of the few times I've seen 9" cutting disks put onto 4 1/2" grinders, would make a good match for the cs picture earlier.

I've seen a few US shows where people are passing things through a ts with no fence/guide push stick etc - even before I got my own ts and had any experience I did used to think how dodgy it was :shock:

Having spent years working in container repair yards now I must say I'm fairly hardened to water poor H&S/bad work practice - as long as I'm safe (and the people around me) then the other wallys can do what they want (and they do). Should anybody want to start a 'accidents we have had' thread I have a few of my own and many others I have seen that might be funny.

fwiw

 

[byrnsey]

Thankfully i have never seen anyone cut themselves with a tablesaw/circular saw, i think i would pass out, not good with blood :roll:. I did see my boss put a 4' paslode nail through his thumb once, luckily he didnt hit the bone. I myself was extremely lucky last year, i was up on scaffold measuring legs for a barge, jumped down onto a plank and went streight through it and fell 26ft to the ground. Scaffold bars broke my fall and luckily the only thing to happen to me was do a ligament in my knee. I still dont know how i went through a 9' plank with my pouch on :? . Someone was looking out for me :lol:

 

[Lons]

I don't feel well now...!

This will make you feel better :lol:

One fine sunday morning, a neighbour drilling timber with a corded B&D drill decided to hold the timber on his lap. result - a 6mm drill through his manhood - #-o No permanent damage it seems but an uncomfortable spell in hospital and even more uncomfortable when he got back to work and faced his mates :lol: taking the p*** out of him just doesn't describe it.

Bob

 

[Benchwayze]

Carpenter on a building site, put a sharp chisel down on top of a sawhorse (One with a triangular sawing notch in one end.) Somehow the chisel rolled, and got trapped in the vee-notch, with the cutting edge pointing upwards. No one noticed until the carpenter sat astride the saw-horse to have his cuppa. I don't need to describe where the chisel blade went. He survived, but the blood! :shock:

 

[monkeybiter]

First time I used a circular saw I wanted to saw through some floor boards with a borrowed saw. I was kneeling on the floor [in my shorts] and I thought I could just rock the saw into the boards off the back edge of the base [can't have been a riving knife fitted]. The saw kicked straight back into my right knee which opened up like a water melon with a slice missing. Didn't hurt, didn't bleed, didn't do it again. Got an impressive scar though!

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Lanemaux - Red mist I think it's called - perhaps we need a power tool certificate, whereby the user has to prove he/she is not a dullard and has some assemblance of competency?

 

[woodbloke]

For me, it was a Stanley knife with a rule cutting veneer...twice on my thumb, in the same place, when the blade rode up over the top of the rule - Rob

 

[devonwoody]

For me, it was a Stanley knife with a rule cutting veneer...twice on my thumb, in the same place, when the blade rode up over the top of the rule - Rob

It happened to me with a stanley knife, so I went and got a ruler from Axminster which has a fitted handle to hold the ruler down.

 

[Harbo]

Having spent 40 odd years in the Construction Industry I have come across many nasty incidents - sadly mainly involving Chippies!

However one "Buster Keaton" moment was observed from my 3 floor office window which had a clear view of a row of Terrace Houses being demolished opposite.
The Demolition Company had gutted everything out and stripped off the roof slates when I noticed 3 workmen standing on the roof timbers lassoing a chimney stack with a length of rope.
Having "captured it" they then started pulling it towards them!
There was an almighty crash followed by clouds of dust and soot with the 3 men disappearing into the bowels of the house.
When the dust had settled, out they climbed completely blackened but not appearing to be injured - shaken but not stirred?
I wish I had a camera with me - would have made a fortune on YouTube (but that didn't exist then anyway)


Rod

 

[Bluekingfisher]

I saw a similar incident, I saw a bloke renewing his roof, so I asked if I could have the old and removed rafters. When I went back later in the day to collect them I could hear hammer banging from the roof then a crash and a cloud of dust. The poor guy knocked out one too many rafters and the whole lot came down.

I wasn't complaining as I got the whole compliment of roof rafters which I used to furnish the cottage I was in at the time.

 

[tool613]

LEt me tell you boys that The americans have not a clue about good TS safe practices. Just a few days ago the Modorators
at OWWM (the largest old scary tool forum there)merged my posts in a thread they titled a pissing match on the short fence safety futures. There view there is this is not what we want to talk about and the thread was more about setting an example of what they will allow to be discuss. I did me best too convey my point but you can't teach new dogs old tricks. The whole thing in north america is there is little understanding of what years of safty regulation in the UK has done for the industry. Its pretty bad when the Moderators of forums like OWWM support this kind of ignorance.


Any here that wish to make a contribution to this thread please do. it will make little difference to some but there are some reading that could use the information . All i was trying to do was save some fingers.


the USA is not ready to discuss the virtues of save practice.

here is the thread


http://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=111526

jack

 

[Bluekingfisher]

The Americans (or some) do seem blaze' to safety in many aspects of woodworking, why that has become the norm I do not know. Even with the recent lawsuit with regards to a large payout for someone working without a guard.

Perhaps it's something to do with "The land of the free" maybe they just don't like people (authority) telling them what to do??

 

[marcros]

It does seem crazy. There is no denying that there is a danger, and there are ready made things that can be done to reduce that danger (riving knife, training, guarding etc), so I am amazed that there are not more lawsuits.

Do they not understand Duty of Care in the USA?

 

[Digit]

Interesting debate, but both here and in North America, I wonder how many supporters of either cause have experince of both type of fences.
The suggestion that the short fence permits skew cutting is of course correct, I get the best of both worlds by using a long fence with a short fence attached to it. The short fence can be slid back and forth to suit various conditions.

Roy.

 

[Digit]

they just don't like people (authority) telling them what to do??

That could well be said of me perhaps, but it doesn't extend to ignoring my personal safety.

Roy.

 

[tool613]

Interesting debate, but both here and in North America, I wonder how many supporters of either cause have experince of both type of fences.
The suggestion that the short fence permits skew cutting is of course correct, I get the best of both worlds by using a long fence with a short fence attached to it. The short fence can be slid back and forth to suit various conditions.

Roy.

I think that saw company's like Wadkin and martin put good fences on saws that allow the use of high ,low. slide back and long fence and that some have put the two together as an important feature. There view in the US is the long fence for everything and the longer the better. lets not go into there understanding of the riving knife or crown guard to witch the fence play an important part.


jack

 

[tool613]

Do they not understand Duty of Care in the USA?

I do not want to make a blanket stament as to everyone there but in general NO

There are some that are looking at the safety features and there is little information for them to find in the US. Add to this the Pissing match peer pressure on safety and it is clear the disregard . I will do my best to convey proven safety practices but I am on my own over here. If I save one finger its worth it.

jack

 

[wobblycogs]

Just watched a bit of Canadas Worst Handyman as recommended by Mike (lanemaux) it's worth a squint just to see how badly you can use a tool. I practically jumped out of my skin when I saw a kid slam a spinning SCMS saw into a piece of 2x4. Seeing them use circular saws makes me wonder how they have all their fingers - more than one twisted the saw in the cut so badly they stalled the blade. I'm just hoping the show as a water tight waiver for injury because that show is going to lead to someone in ending up in hospital or dead.