A city wide blackout at Sun, 21 Dec 2003 15:20:30 GMT did not prevent John
from posting to rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
pyotr filipivich wrote:

what happened was he was cleaning up, and at the base of the
shaft (a bit over an inch in diameter), there's a ring, and a
locking pin which protrudes from that ring.
Clean it up, put it away, file the extra bit off the shaft
retaining ring lock pin ...

The real danger is that any rotating smooth shaft even at fairly
low RPM will grab any fabric and wrap it around the shaft.
A shaft with a protruding pin is actually safer as it scares the
hell out of anyone to stay away from it. Exposed rotating shafts
should ideally have a cover over them. Where that is not possible
the smart operator rolls up his sleeves and does not wear loose
garments that can be grabbed by a rotating shaft. HTH

Yep.

Of course, as a friend used to say "Coordination kills." People think they
can do stuff, and they can, and then they try to do something which they only
think they should be able to do.


As for rolling up sleeves - this is a factory built before the war (which
war, I'm not sure). I'm told the heat works wonderfully from July to late
September, and the A/C from late September to about mid June. (At least I'm
not in the melt and forge shops :-) ) So, it gets cold. "See your breath" and
"drink lots of coffee" kind of cold.

But I take your point: there's a lot of "safety precautions" one needs to
take around machines. And it is the little things, rather than the big honking
dangerous looking parts, which will kill you. Or hurt you badly.

How many times have we heard experienced people say "I didn't think that
was going to work" after they tried something which "backfired." (I remember
an electrician knocking himself on his butt while wiring a stepdown transformer
from 220 to 110v, and saying that very thing.)

Sometimes, it doesn't knock you on your ass, it kills your ass.
Mechanically and without emotion.
--
pyotr filipivich
"We don't support "guns" ... the term "gun" gets in the way of
what is really being talked about here - we want choice in
personal security devices." Ann Coulter