Elektrishun
Well-Known Member
There was a fair bit of workplace safety related discussion in another thread. Decided to start a dedicated thread to continue the discussion. If this isn't the right location, sorry.
Before I retired I was in a maintenance supervisor role. Myself and the other supervisors made workplace safety a priority. Even before becoming a supervisor I often told people I had 2 goals before I retired - retire on my own terms and with good health. Having good health meant avoiding a serious workplace accident. So far it appears to have worked out well for me.
A couple of the most noticeable safety changes that occurred in my trade as an electrician was in regards to "live work" and PPE. Went from standing next to my journeyman while he was tying a breaker into a live 480V panel with the only PPE between us being the leather gloves he was wearing to taking Workplace Electrical Safety classes, performing Job Safety Analysis, wearing properly rated PPE for the task, and "live work" becoming far less frequent.
As a maintenance supervisor and having staff perform work in older buildings, Asbestos Awareness training and testing became a major priority. Documenting everything we had tested was a priority, too. A real game changer for getting work done. There are a lot of opinions on test results and risk of exposure. When working in public buildings if the test is positive you follow the rules and abate it properly. That may mean a High Risk Abatement and spending a lot of $$$.
A few years back my wife ran into a former co-worker of my mine who worked at the same site as myself but started many years earlier. He told her he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and that the place we both worked at is where he was exposed to asbestos. Maybe. He worked at other places prior.
In my home shop I have tried to be equally safe. Some of the things I have improved on over the years:
- always wear eye protection. Woodworking, metal work, auto mechanics, etc. - I just always always have them on. Once, while at work, I was trimming a tiny corner of metal stud without safety glasses on. Cut the piece and then carried on with pulling electrical cable. Felt like I was sweating so I put my hand to my forehead. When I looked at my hand it was covered in blood. Unknown to me, that tiny fragment of metal shot up and buried itself in my forehead. That was the last time I worked without safety glasses. Safety glasses have saved my eyes from serious injury on a few occasions.
- working with harsh chemicals. When I was a lot younger I used to strip a lot of old wood furniture indoors. Wore gloves but no mask. That stripper worked great but not good for the lungs or brain. If the MSDS sheets call for it and I don't have a properly fitted half mask with the correct filter/cartridge, I ain't touching it. Recently seen a guy on a TV repair show using a chemical while holding what looked like an N95 mask over his face with the straps hanging down. Pointless and likely the wrong mask for the job. Getting fitted for a half mask is no longer in my future and therefore harsh chemicals that require one aren't either.
- gloves. In the past few years I have started wearing gloves more and more. In my home shop I have all kinds of gloves for different tasks. Really saves on the skin and makes some jobs a lot more pleasant.
- dust collection. I have an ambient air cleaner that I built with 2 types of filters, a Delta single stage collector for the table-saw and jointer, shop vacuums for small equipment, etc. For many years now I have been wearing masks when making dust. I used to do a lot of running that included entering local races. With running protecting my lungs became even more important.
- working on the home roof. Here's where I need to wise up. My house is a raised bungalow with a 4/12 pitch. Most people would feel pretty comfortable on a roof like that without fall restraint. I do, too. Nonetheless, I heard of a young worker falling off baker's scaffolding 6 feet high and passed away due to a head injury from the fall. When I went to trade school one of the instructors was in a wheel chair due to injury from falling off his home roof. A million stories can be told.
If nothing else, the one thing I learnt about safety, is that it constantly changes. You can't assume that what you currently know about working safely will apply to all situations. You're always learning and adjusting.
BTW, I have done my share of really stupid things over the years. Having a little luck helps but I wouldn't count on it.
Would like to read other members thoughts and stories on the subject.
Before I retired I was in a maintenance supervisor role. Myself and the other supervisors made workplace safety a priority. Even before becoming a supervisor I often told people I had 2 goals before I retired - retire on my own terms and with good health. Having good health meant avoiding a serious workplace accident. So far it appears to have worked out well for me.
A couple of the most noticeable safety changes that occurred in my trade as an electrician was in regards to "live work" and PPE. Went from standing next to my journeyman while he was tying a breaker into a live 480V panel with the only PPE between us being the leather gloves he was wearing to taking Workplace Electrical Safety classes, performing Job Safety Analysis, wearing properly rated PPE for the task, and "live work" becoming far less frequent.
As a maintenance supervisor and having staff perform work in older buildings, Asbestos Awareness training and testing became a major priority. Documenting everything we had tested was a priority, too. A real game changer for getting work done. There are a lot of opinions on test results and risk of exposure. When working in public buildings if the test is positive you follow the rules and abate it properly. That may mean a High Risk Abatement and spending a lot of $$$.
A few years back my wife ran into a former co-worker of my mine who worked at the same site as myself but started many years earlier. He told her he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and that the place we both worked at is where he was exposed to asbestos. Maybe. He worked at other places prior.
In my home shop I have tried to be equally safe. Some of the things I have improved on over the years:
- always wear eye protection. Woodworking, metal work, auto mechanics, etc. - I just always always have them on. Once, while at work, I was trimming a tiny corner of metal stud without safety glasses on. Cut the piece and then carried on with pulling electrical cable. Felt like I was sweating so I put my hand to my forehead. When I looked at my hand it was covered in blood. Unknown to me, that tiny fragment of metal shot up and buried itself in my forehead. That was the last time I worked without safety glasses. Safety glasses have saved my eyes from serious injury on a few occasions.
- working with harsh chemicals. When I was a lot younger I used to strip a lot of old wood furniture indoors. Wore gloves but no mask. That stripper worked great but not good for the lungs or brain. If the MSDS sheets call for it and I don't have a properly fitted half mask with the correct filter/cartridge, I ain't touching it. Recently seen a guy on a TV repair show using a chemical while holding what looked like an N95 mask over his face with the straps hanging down. Pointless and likely the wrong mask for the job. Getting fitted for a half mask is no longer in my future and therefore harsh chemicals that require one aren't either.
- gloves. In the past few years I have started wearing gloves more and more. In my home shop I have all kinds of gloves for different tasks. Really saves on the skin and makes some jobs a lot more pleasant.
- dust collection. I have an ambient air cleaner that I built with 2 types of filters, a Delta single stage collector for the table-saw and jointer, shop vacuums for small equipment, etc. For many years now I have been wearing masks when making dust. I used to do a lot of running that included entering local races. With running protecting my lungs became even more important.
- working on the home roof. Here's where I need to wise up. My house is a raised bungalow with a 4/12 pitch. Most people would feel pretty comfortable on a roof like that without fall restraint. I do, too. Nonetheless, I heard of a young worker falling off baker's scaffolding 6 feet high and passed away due to a head injury from the fall. When I went to trade school one of the instructors was in a wheel chair due to injury from falling off his home roof. A million stories can be told.
If nothing else, the one thing I learnt about safety, is that it constantly changes. You can't assume that what you currently know about working safely will apply to all situations. You're always learning and adjusting.
BTW, I have done my share of really stupid things over the years. Having a little luck helps but I wouldn't count on it.
Would like to read other members thoughts and stories on the subject.
