On Aug 9, 1:57 pm, "Thomas G. Marshall"
. com wrote:
I wanted to urge people to use protective eye gear with my quick story of a
near-miss. Then I figured that what I really wanted was to read of other's
mishaps and close-calls to know what is dangerous. Maybe this thread dies
with 1 post, I hope not. Perhaps it's been done 100 times or more?

Mine: I was using a Dremel Tool (high speed rotary) for sharpening my lawn
mower blade. I was wearing the safety goggles, but it was hot out and I was
sweating into them. When I was done I checked the balance of the blade and
thought I could use a smidgeon off the very end of the blade to make it
balance perfectly.

The goggles were at the other end of the room. I figured it was a sec or
two of grinding. I got possitioned over the blade too close with no eye
protection. I *knew* the spin direction would throw the shards downward,
I've been doing it for nearly 20 minutes. But I figured that I might as
well get used to a no-exceptions rule, so I walked across the room, cleaned
them out, wiped my face with a towel, and put them on, all the while cursing
myself for being so safe.

I had lost track of the position of the dremel tool and the side of the
blade I was using. It actually was spinning up toward me in that position I
would have used. Shards of metal struck my eye goggles, and peppered much
of my face, at a very high rate of speed.

20+ years ago I was putting the railing on my deck and I used a couple
36" flat bar clamps to hold the railing to the posts temporarily. I
attached the clamps with the bars pointing out into the yard, not back
over the deck. I stepped back a few feet for a visual and then
walked towards to railing to adjust it. My eyes were focused on the
railing, not on the clamps, so I never saw the end of the steel bar
until it hit my safety glasses. It knocked them off and put a rather
large gash in my forehead, just above my left eye.

After I bandaged myself up and retrieved my safety glasses, I found a
deep scratch that started dead center in the left lens and extended up
to the frame. If not for the safety glasses deflecting the bar up
into my forehead, it would have gone straight into my left eye.

I still have a scar (and the railing) to remind me how important
safety glasses are.