The importance of working safetly.......

[Ncbob]

We all, I'm sure, like to think that we work safetly and if one were to to screen records I feellconfident that we are pretty safe in that regard...but I'd like to share an experience as sort of a 'heads up' to help insure our record stays that way.  Since names aren't as important as the scenario, and I'm sure my volunteer assistant would just as soon he remain anonymous for what is ahead.  Should he wish to step forward and identify himself...I'm amenable to that....and many of you know of the instance so we'll just go on.....

One of our fellow BusNuts volunteered to spend a week or so helping me with projects that, for me, seemed to be overwhelming considering the overly ambitious schedule I'd laid out for myself, and I graciously acepted him at his word.  He arrived on time and we started.

Working on a new coach water system, we installed a previosly used tank in a different area, in the forward baggage bay, and proceeded to connect the pump, filters, tank fill and drain to the existing interior plumbing.  All went well until we found an unrepairable leak at one of the 'whole house' filters I'd bought from the E-place and found that the water we'd put into the tank was somewhat foul smelling.  Whether it was the long unused hot water tank or the FWT itself didn't matter...the solution was Clorox.

Since we'd designed a pressure (city) water fill it made sense to drain the tank and fill the hose with about a quart of Clorox and not only sanitize the tank but the new lines as well.  Since we thought we'd repaired the leak at the filter it was a simple thing to re-connect the hose (filled with Clorox) and test it again.

Now, here's the rub...and where it's soo important that there is a total communication between the workers involved.  When he re-connected the hose to the pressure water side...I noticed that he forgot to add the pressure reducer and I mentioned that fact.  He said, "Disconnect the hose and add it in", which I did, and ASSUMING that all was well on the other side of the bulkhead
used the 1/4 turn valve to turn the city water (which contained the Clorox) on, momentarily...but then thought.."Ooh...he might not be ready over there"...and turned it back off.....

That's when he bailed out and started screaming, "Clorox...get me water quick!"  Fortunately there was a gallon jug of water handy and we flushed out his eyes as best we could and loaded him for the ER which was only about 5 blocks away.

After about an hour of misery while they were flushing out his eyes, some drops and a few pain killers we brought him home for the night where we could be sure we could monitor his situation.

A trip to our Opthalmologist the next morning indicated that there was no long term damage..but we'll stay on top of that situation.  In the meantime the patient is not only being patient but is returning to normal as best that can be expected considering what he's been through.

I'm relating this for many reasons...one being that I, and I alone am repsonsible for this injury to my friend and would glady roast over a charcoal fire that to have seen it happen, and two...it could happen to anyone of us in a simple second of, "Not Paying Total Attention" when working on something as simple as water..which we wouldn't think would be a dangerous situation.

POINT!  Please pay much more attention to every aspect of every task you do, whether or not you have help, because the very life you save might be your own, or your sight, or a limb or even a finger!

Work safetly, my friends, in the hope that the 'journey' we like to think of as the conversion won't be to the hospital or the graveyard.

Offered in the hope that all will work and travel in total safety and good health.

Ncbob

[Gary LaBombard]

I never have to worry about injuring someone else helping me.  Never had any help.  Just got no friends I guess.  But glad that ---s is doing fine, these things can happen,

(1) I  work wearing safety glasses all the time out of habit from working at GE.  Saved my --s many times, many.   This propably would of prevented a straight shot in the eyes to ---s today, maybe. 

(2) Wear a ball cap also, (Bald), man the old hat has saved my butt, (head) a lot of time. 

(3)Don't forget safety shoes, one time you drop a piece of 1/8" plate or angle iron etc. on your foot and man your day is ruined.

(4)  Ear Plugs, oh yea, getting metal grindings out of the ears is fun, save your ears from dirt and noise and get some protection from noise even cutting the lawn.  Who cares what others think!!

Think I said more than I should of as usual.
Gary   

[Gary LaBombard]

Hot dam, I'm one of the big boys now, just got my 101st. post, Full member now,  this is 102 I think!!
Gary

[mikeH8H-649]

Bob sorry to hear about that but accidents do happen,I hope that he is going to be allright,I had bleach shot into my eyes onetime(long story) and it is no fun.Tell ---- that we hope he recovers soon and not to rush things I know they had my eyes bandaged for 6 days but that was 20 years ago and I have to agree with Gary I do not have that problem as i have not had any helper as of yet so I just manage to hurt myself     Mike

[NJT5047]

Bummer man!  Glad you got ---- flushed out quick...difference between eye damage and none. 
Take good care of him....ya'll gotta be at BK's rally in 3 days!   Don't forget your snowsuit! It's going to make T'ville feel like Miami in July! 
Wish I could join ya'll, but we'll be in Chimney Rock this weekend doing our 7th annual Burford Brothers shindig.   We practice consuming...and playing music.  If ya'll find yourselves in town, come on over Sat evening.  Not too far as the crow flies.  I know you love to drive!   
As the others say...garuntee I won't injure anyone...no one gets close to my bus!  Too much like work.  I'll spend hours doing things that should take minutes with a helper. 
Best, JR
BTW, Gary,  Anita will be up there on Sat nite too! Come on UP! 



   

[DavidInWilmNC]

I'm with Gary about the safety glasses, ball cap, ear plugs/ muffs, and shoes.  After a while, it's as natural as wearing a seat belt.  I'll also add gloves to that list.  I've started wearing latex gloves when using sealers, caulk, paint thinner, paint stripper, etc.  Latex gloves sure make it a lot easier to clean up. 

I also am unlikely to have a problem with hurting anybody else.  I'm there working by myself 99% of the time.  I've had a lot of small cuts, bangs, scrapes, etc, but I've fortunately missed out on all the big injuries.  It's something to really be thankful for, that's for sure.

David

[JerryH]

I posted this once before on the old MAK board, but will (although embarrassed) share once again...

I was welding, not using OSHA approved "shorts" (yeah "shorts").  It was a hot summer day, wasn't going to be long.  My shorts?   A frayed pair of Columbia's.  The frays ... or wicks as I refer to them now numbered a few around the bottom of each leg.

During one pass one of the frays got ignited by a spark.  While welding I could smell something burning.  Having an extinguisher and water within close proximity, I lifted my helmet to see what needed to be extinguished.  Looking around, then quickly down I saw the flames.  It was 'moi' that needed to be extinguished.  

So my $0.02 ... when welding, be mindful of your surroundings (that which is flammable -- hopefully not you), wearing full coverage, and have a fire extinguisher on-hand.

Jerry H.

ahhh, one postscript:  About shorts ... "this season", while on the second floor of our shop, I was poking around in the ducting aisle.  I was wearing shorts (once again!) ... a piece of (sharp) duct fell down along my leg.  Ripped me open like butter.  A visit to the hospital and 18 stitches later I was home back to work.  Shorts?  Yeah, not really a good idea in a shop. 

[Abajaba]

Shorts and welding?!?!

A friend was only going to be welding a seat base for a van and was wearing shorts.  Somewhat baggy shorts.

He put the pieces to be welded between his feet so he could hold the pieces with his feet while he sat on the ground doing this.

I am told that he walked real gingerly for several days after that incident.  It seems that he got a SUN BURN in some delicate areas that don't normally see a lot of light and it pained him a bit.  I learned a less from that incident.  Jeans without holes or frayed edges and long sleeves. 

[NewbeeMC9]

Hope the nameless is is alright , surley you're handing him cronies to ease the pain while you read the board to him.  Glad to here he's recoverable and ya'll weren't working on the blackwater system.

old navy practices,
Valves and switches are "Open" or "Shut"  which sound different over sound powered phones (and through bus walls) and less likely to be mistaken.

good to holler out and wait for repeat back or response while working around other people.

ie " OPENING THE WATER SUPPLY VALVE!"  or " SHUTTING THE MACERATER PUMP SWITCH!!"

Simple but effective.



Hope you both feel better and thanks for thinking of the rest of us in safety

Maybe you can get him a woman and tell him she's goodlooking.

[RJ]

NCBob -

Good reminders.

I work with liquid chlorine daily, in much stronger concentrations than what you find in Chlorox.  Nasty stuff, even when splashed on damp skin, let alone the eyes.  Fumes can get you, too!

Glad your busnut friend is going to be alright.

FWIW. . .

[plyonsMC9]

Bob,

Thanks for sharing this with us.  And the rest of the busnuts who jumped in as well.  It's never easy to share the stories where something went wrong - much easier to talk about all our successes.  But - you may well save one, or many busnuts some future accident or pain.

This is a real value to the board and our busnut community.

Kind Regards, Phil

[belfert]

I started wearing safety glasses from day one of demo on my bus.  One of my friends thought that it is silly as he rarely wears safety glasses unless absolutely needed.

It was a damn good thing I wore them all the time as one day another friend hit me right in the eyes with something that would have meant serious injury if not for the glasses.

I feel naked working on the bus if I don't have my safety glasses.  I bought some real good ones so they are comfortable and replace them if they get so scratched that it bothers me.

Brian Elfert

[boogiethecat]

Shorts n welding.... well I do it daily and have been for years.  In fact I also wear only T shirts, use the plasma cutter and wear jap flaps/no socks.
The deal isn't what you wear -or not- it's as everyone has noted, how much you pay attention to what you're doing.
When welding, my personal game is to #1 do good welding, and in the process #2 pay attention to where the light from the weld goes.
I shield it with my left hand glove so I could just as well be stark naked and things would still be fine.  This is a good thing to learn because in the process you'll
be protecting others that may walk up unannounced while you're welding, it keeps a lot of hot balls from flying around everywhere (like onto windows in your bus, etc) and
it's not difficult to do.  Yes I occasionally get a spatter burn on my arm but it's not a big deal, and if I'm welding overhead I'll get out the leathers.
I also have a nifty 1/8" thick silicone foam sheet about 3ft square that I use to protect myself when welding or cutting in positions that I just can't shield with my gloves, and that sheet is VERY handy in keeping splatter off of things nearby when necessary, because it's really flexible and it doesn't burn at all.

I will argue for safety glasses though.  I spent most of my life with perfect vision and no glasses, nor safety glasses, and I got crap in my eyes all the time.
Then when I hit 50 and had to wear glasses 100% of the time, magically crap stopped getting in my eyes.  That's the one and only reason I won't get my eyes lasered...
I do like not getting crap in them anymore.  Glasses are good.

BTW if you should get steel in your eye, keep a neodymium magnet around... just hold it to your eye and even the tiniest shard or grinder bit will jump right out !
( It's as good a tool to have around as superglue is, in case you cut yourself really badly )

[jjrbus]

 I wear saftey glasses, ear protection and sometimes gloves, but I work in sandles, sneakers, barefoot, go figure!

[brojcol]

I like to work naked!