Shop safety

[VintageMusclecar]

One of my old next-door neighbors just stopped by today while I was out working in the shop. I didn't get to speak with him, but Rachel did.

Long story short, turns out he was recently working on the torsion spring on his garage door when something went awry and the spring broke free.

In the process, he lost a good chunk (literally!) of his left forearm, including muscle & tendons which his wife had to retrieve from the floor & place in a bag to take with them to the E.R.

Unfortunately they were unable to re-attach the severed sections, and as a result he will suffer significant (but not complete--thankfully) & permanent loss of use of his left arm from the elbow down.

We all tend to take shop safety for granted from time to time, I've done it several times myself--the last time having a copper air line burst free from a compression fitting while my head was about 6" away from it. I screwed up & thought the air had been completely bled from the lines--obviously it hadn't. I got away lucky with nothing more than a little rash on the side of my face from the air in the line and a little debris that made its way out in the process embedded in my cheek.

A couple of inches more to the right and I'd likely be blind right now.

Just a friendly reminder--to myself as well.

Stay focused.

[SS427]

I remind my people daily of the hazards in the shop and frequently remind people to put on safety glasses, gloves and other safety features. Not to mention no welding or cutting after 2:00 just in case an errant ember or hot metal flies into something that could catch fire. You can NEVER be too safe and always expect the worst. I just recently worked on my torsion springs and was cautious but in the future I may leave that up to the professionals. Thanks for passing on the reminder Eric.

[JBALL]

We just had a torsion spring break on our garage door at 3 o'clock in the morning. I contemplated replacing the spring my self. Ended up calling a professional and had it done for $125.00

It made one hell of a sound when it broke and made a mess out of the cables!

[drdave69]

I've had two torsion springs replaced over the years and always let the professionals handle that job. It sucks that he is maimed from it now. I always try to remember mine and others safety when working in the shop.

[TDW]

Well, speaking of safety, I made a decision yesterday about safety. I have been using a chainsaw for close to 50 years. Never gave it too much thought about what that chain could do to my legs. Just for the hell of it, I looked at chainsaw chaps. After watching a couple of videos on them, I have a very good pair on the way.

[Bill Pritchard]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: drdave69</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've had two torsion springs replaced over the years and always let the professionals handle that job. </div></div>

Absolutely.....cheap insurance....

[169indy]

&quot;Give unsafe practices and inch &amp; they will take a FOOT&quot;

O-R-M

Operation Risk Management- What's going to Hurt me?, What am I going to do about it?, Whom can I tell?

Prayers for your friend healing,

Jim W

[anodyne33]

I'm epileptic and have complex partial seizures. Basically, I just zone out for 30 seconds or so maybe twice a month. I really need to swap out the angle grinder for one with a paddle switch juuuust in case.

[68l30]

We do a shop safety huddle each morning. We go over the prior days events and a Behavior &amp; Safety Observation done on a random work area daily. It's surprising what can be seen as a potential hazard in the shop. Something as simple as a defined walkway (complete with footstep) can make a huge difference in a area with multiple vehicle types. We pride ourselves with zero injuries and zero missed time due to hazards. It's a P.I.T.A but I like to go home every night. Some of my co-workers,in past, sadly have not. Our motto is ..&quot;Take 3 seconds to think about what you are doing, BEFORE you do it&quot;.


BIG

[mockingbird812]

Good practice, BIG. Safety culture is tuff to change and is susceptible to erosion!