Digger wrote:
On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 11:58:58 -0500, Frank Boettcher
wrote:

On Tue, 5 Jun 2007 10:21:52 -0400, "Lee Michaels"
wrote:


"Swingman" wrote

Unfortunately, I can do one better for a "table saw accident" when
not cutting wood. I "filleted" a thumb, to the tune of 13
stitches, on a TS with
the blade off and not even plugged in!

Always endeavoring to be safety conscious, and taking advantage of
all opportunities to further that goal, I was installing an
overhead blade guard, and, in the process, created a perfectly
functioning guillotine.


Oh the irony, the irony.

I can think of a couple safety phobic folks I knew who would point
to this incident as "proof" that safety procedures and devices just
don't "work". LOL


Sometimes they don't.

In an earlier life I was a welder making offshore oil platforms and
deck sections. These things were loaded on barges using two bridge
cranes that had two hoists each at 250 tons capacity each so 1000
tons total capacity The hooks were very large as were the cables that
attached to them.

Crane hooks are required by OSHA to have spring loaded safty latches,
that is they spring out of the way when you push on the cable loop
and spring back when you get the cable on. Picture cables as large
as your upper arm with a swedged loop that required two men to lift
onto the hook. The hook latches were so large the spring back was
mashing peoples hands. So we took the latches off. Got cited by
OSHA. Asked the OSHA inspector to demonstrate how to get the cables
on with the saftey latches without getting hurt. He declined,
admitted that logically we were right, but had to cite us anyway
"got to go by the book". We also were curious as to how a crane hook
loaded to 250 tons could have a cable slip off the hook if there
were no latch. Our limited knowledge of physics could not fathom
that happening. He declined to explain or to cite any specific
statistics.

Overhead blade guards, however, are very good safety devices
(provided you can get them on without getting hurt in the first
place).

Frank

OSHA is one of the greatest BS components of the government today! AND
the principle reasons for companies to outsource!!
I was charged 3500.00 when my people were taking down a tower of
scaffolding FROM a sissor lift and one stepped out on the scaffold to
pick up a walk board. OSHA sent me a picture and the charge for "no
hand rails". We had the best safety record in the industry according
to my insurance co. Our country is destroying itself with political
correctness and lack of personal responsibility.

One place I used to work there was a piece of machinery with a foot
pedal. Was installed before WWII. In the time from its installation to
the day that OSHA first looked at it, there had been _no_ injuries on
that machine of any kind. OSHA decided that the pedal was a tripping
hazard and required that it have an elaborate guard installed. At the
time I left the company there had been five injuries caused by that
guard.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)