All, Please share any general safety tips to ave us from ourselves!

 

Getting old and falling down!!!!

Several years ago I injured my left shoulder. I don't have hundreds of thousands at my disposal, and it will likely NEVER heal in my lifetime.

This last summer I took a fall and whacked my left wrist on a piece of wood and bruised and sprained it. It has recovered, but I ALSO injured my RIGHT shoulder, and though it's some better, it's still "trick" and MAY NEVER HEAL

Early this winter I drug home a big recliner and TV, and after successfully getting both up the front steps, the LAST TRIP down the steps, I fell on my back with the sharp edge of a step across my back. Bruised, sore, but not seriously injured, I have recovered

Then, this winter I fell in the shed, my right arm under my side. My right arm "grazed" the foot of the engine stand hard enough to cut my arm through layers of outer clothing. The bone has developed a large "bump" even though the "report" from Xray says "it's not broke." The muscle / tissue is getting better, but still a bit tender.

ALL OF THIS could have been MUCH more serious or even DEADLY

 

Always pull the plug wire off if screwing with the lawn mower....

my cousin had one start while working on a push mower and cut off a few fingers..

They were reattached and all is well after years of therapy, but that left a lasting impression on me.. Always comes to mind when I'm working on yard equipment

 

Suit up, glove up, with glasses for grinding. All I did was start the grinder to see if I could get to the spot. It bounced off of another bar, cut a knuckle to the tendon. Dumb ass move.....

 

Suit up, glove up, with glasses for grinding. .....

I admit, I'm guilty of violating this........

 

Always wear a face shield when using cut-off wheels. Your face won't stop them.
Matter of fact those wheels will go through a face shield and still get you, but not as bad.

Oldie, but a goodie. Happened to a guy I know.

He was using a wire wheel to clean up a frame. He thought a hornet got him in the nuts. Nope. You know where this is going don't you?

Poor devil had to go in for surgery to get the piece of wire removed from his right nut.

Always wear heavy clothing and a leather apron when using wire wheels. Better yet don't use them, ever. Every time I see a wire wheel I remember that poor bastard and cringe.

 

Wear your PPE.
No, seriously. Wear safety glasses even if you're just hammering that pesky nail back into the carpet transition strip in the living room. Shit, wear tarsal and shin protection when using a chainsaw. Wear fall protection when working at height or climbing (that includes your deerstand). If you're not sure what you should be wearing consult the instructions or ask the internet.

Lockout/tagout.
Before working on a piece of equipment, de-engergize it, relieve any stored energy, and then if ANYONE else uses the same space, tag or lock out the isolation mechanisms. All it ever takes is someone walking into the garage and flipping a breaker.

Hot Work.
Whenever performing an operation that produces heat or sparks always clear flammables from a ten foot radius of the work, use welding blankets when necessary, and purge potentially explosive atmospheres (like a gas tank or drum) prior to cutting/welding/grinding.

These are Blue Collar 101 but I see guys that work all day in an industrial setting doing stupid shit in their own garage all the time.

 

No gloves around the lathe or milling machine.

 

Store sharps/extra blades properly, one time digging round in a tool box top I cut three of my fingers pretty good on a spare blade. Now I keep a box with SHARPS written on it for all extra blades, plus it's easier to find them.

 

had a friend working at a bench "lose" a single edge razor, he looked all over for it, finally gave up and grabbed a new one. Then he put his hand in his pocket and found it, it fell off the bench and into his front pocket. A couple stitches to fix it

 

Fire extinguisher at each garage/shop exit. You don't want the fire between you and one when you need it.

CO detector in your lounge/living quarters/toter/RV/etc. Generators kill.

 

Don't heat control arms with torch to remove/loosen balljoints. They explode and shoot out the stud like a rocket. (ones with no grease fitting in them to vent) Guy here has had like 6 operations to put his leg back together/patch up.

 

Completely clean up EVERY spill as fast as it hits the ground. Just a small amout of oil/lube/grease on a floor (especially smooth concrete) can cause you to slip and fall. If you are holding something when you slip, it's even worse.

I still have a scar on the inside of my arm from walking across a patch of oil on the garage floor carrying a 1/2 assembled VW block. I actually fell in a very controlled way, but was cradling the block and it put a nasty gash into the inside of my arm as I held it while going down on my ass. This was 45 years ago and I remember it quite well still.

 

This goes for those plastic tie wraps too.. cut the tails off and watch out... step on those and you're on the ground faster than you can say what the...*&%!

 

Use the brain. Always ask yourself: "What can go wrong if I do this, and what do I have to do to prevent that."

 

^^^^^Won't work, common sense is spread very thinly nowadays

 

Well I guess I'm old school and I have hope. Have noticed people in general need to be teaspoon fed nowadays.

 

Spin-off from other thread on T or BT...but still a golden rule:

DURING HUNTING SEASON DO NOT BE OUT WALKING IN FIELDS..OPEN AREAS ETC. WITHOUT BRIGHT ORANGE. Best to avoid all together....

Yes, you shouldn’t have to but others are STUPID...be smart!

 

If you work in a garage and a customer with a RWD car pulls in with a smoking front brake rotor don't throw it up on the lift without letting it cool.

Did this years ago (was late on a Friday trying to beat the clock) and right as I pulled the wheel off the dust cover blew off the rotor and boiling grease hit me in the face and one large droplet made a hell of a blister right below my eyeball.

And yeah by all means take every precaution you can with cut-off wheels and wire brushes.

Another weird one on eye safety is needle nose pliers...several OSHA studies in different occupations have found the number one way to loose an eye is by pulling on something like a spring with needle nose and loosing your grip and stabbing yourself in the eye.

 

Zipties can be VERY dangerous to small children . If they put one around their neck , it can kill them . Ive actually seen a kid do this and luckily there was an adult near by that cut it off . But if there wasnt , there would have been no way that child was getting that thing off .

Dont leave them lying around !

 

Yesterday had to use the fire extinguisher, other tech had a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L with a #7 misfire and was spraying around the intake checking for a vacuum leak and lit that thing up. So, had to grab the extinguisher and run over there lol.....I didn't train him.

 

Use goggles instead of a glasses or a shield when working around metal shavings..Grinding cutting and so on, Learned the hard way that a full face shield does little to protect your eyes from flying metal shaving when they bounce off your shirt and upwards under the shield. 2 trips to get it out and 2 more for the eye infection that followed.

Another one that got me, I never used a welding shield when using a plasma cutter and never had a problem until I had my truck up on a lift and had to cut holes in a crossmember big enough for dual exhaust to pass through. I never thought about the extra exposure from being eye level as I cut.
Only took a few minutes to cut but a couple hours later I realized I was screwed. Eyes started feeling like they were full of sand, It only lasted a couple hours but I'll never do that again.

 

I am a retired toolmaker and worked a lifetime of wrenching on fasteners while spindles are turning. ALWAYS look at where your hand will go if that fastener or wrench were to slip off or break. I have learned this the hard way when younger and more impatient.

 

I appreciate the safety tips, but it would sink it better if there was pics or videos of the injuries.

 

I'll pass, There are other websites you can go to that show mangled human bits. Just google image search "angle grinder injuries". Plenty of stuff to keep you busy.

Buy tools with deadman switches. I've been 'chased' out from under a car by an angle grinder that got away from me.

 

Hey got an unusual one for this. Got a redi sleeve for a crankshaft a few weeks ago. It was for a 40's mg. The sleeve wasn't sold for this application so I did a trial fit partially on. It started on nice by hand. I then put my thumbs on the back of the crank and pulled the sleeve off with my fingers. Sleeve came off and right through my thumbs it went. Had to go get stitches for that one. Never thought I was doing anything iffy and ended up with stitches for only the second time in my life. I'm usually a pretty cautious guy.

 

Don't get caught cleaning parts in the dishwasher .... No physical damage , but I'm still hearing about that shit
PS works pretty damn good !!

 

Great comments above. I purchased two dozen safety goggles an have them everywhere in my garage and basement so I have no excuses not to put them on since one is always within reach.

 

One time I was eating a pistachio and a piece of shell cut my gum,

 

When troubleshooting a no spark issue on your engine that also has a MSD 7AL2 Gold box powering the ignition make sure your hands don't complete the circuit !!! . It friggin hurts , feels like you were tased