Safety First

[Frenchenstein]

Hmm, Safety First is no good as an after thought: I have spent the last few days (seven in fact) in either absolute agony or severe discomfort after getting two pieces of hot flying metal in my left eye whilst grinding upside down, on my back, the inner sill area of a Nissan Micra. No money is worth this pain. I used the 'spectacle' type of eye protection and it's not enough from bits bouncing around and hitting you from the side. I always press apprentices to use good protection (for eyes, I don't care what else they get up to), so I'm saying to everyone that the wait in A & E, the needle scrape on my pupil, the stupid eye bandage, the eye drops, the squinting blah blah blah are to be avoided. So use full wrap around goggles and stay safe.

Thanks, this has been a public safety announcement.

 

[chunkolini]

Done that one.
I had the beautiful German nurse say to me .
"I said sit still" in her best Bond baddie accent
I sat still as she poked in my eye with a massive needle. And removed a tiny speck of detritus.
Did it beautifully. An amazing intro to people with steady hands
I was wearing safety glasses, sometime the nasty speck is on a mission.

 

[Engineer1964]

Those safety specs are totally crap when it comes to protecting your eyes, twice in a week i went to A&E to have bits taken out of my eye with an needle

The problem is the grit bounces off the inside right into your eye, not to mention the days of discomfort as a result.

These are what i bought http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UVEX-ULTR...=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&hash=item25734e7c86

and now i never do any sanding or grinding without it

 

[keith19]

Good advice Gerry.
I keep a pair of those in with every angle grinder case or bag, so there is no excuse not to wear them. And another pair hanging up near the bench. Why do we only learn from experience?
As the H&S posters used to say in the 1970's: 'You only get the one pair...'

 

[Robotstar5]

As the H&S posters used to say in the 1970's: 'You only get the one pair...'

Was that the one of a chap in overalls with a dressing taped over each eye?

 

[Cal]

I hope you get beter soon mate.

I htank you for your timely reminder.

 

[mrcheese]

It is so tempting to do a quick cut with a grinder and not bother with eye protection. Posts like this serve as a reminder to be careful.

 

[tigler]

And thats just when sods law strikes !! People take the P out of me when I won't lift a mug of tea without gloves on but it's always them that get gouged hands and ripped finger nails. Same with eye protection, I had a wood splinter in an eye about 20 years ago when I was just prying a packing case open, the agony and inconvenience that caused invoked me to always use the appropriate PPE regardless of how quick the job is. Humans are just no competition for ruthless tools and materials in a workplace.

 

[Engineer1964]

Only today i picked up the sander to sand some weld off and thought its only a little bit, A bit of the grit from the sanding pad, hit me in the face just under my eye

Can't believe i didn't put those googles on, so easy to do, but to be honest you only ever get anything in your eye when your not wearing the right protection so, not i make a point of not simply picking up the sander unless i have my goggles

 

[Hitch]

It is tempting, just to flush off a misplaced tack or similar without them.

I tend to use the ones above, or these

 

[Frenchenstein]

Thanks for all the comments chaps, I'm off to get a couple of pairs of the aforementioned gogs. Cheers

 

[Engineer1964]

It is tempting, just to flush off a misplaced tack or similar without them.

I tend to use the ones above, or these

Uvex have certainly got the market in quality safety googles

 

[SamT]

Ive got about 5 different goggles lying around the garage, usually in each spot i do some grinding so i dont forget to put them on, ordered a full face mask jobby today aswell

My favaourite ones are these dewalt ones my mate bought me for xmas http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-co...tracking url&gclid=CLeOj6en77ECFcQNfAodRGAA2w

Just need several pairs of ear deffenders now to make sure i put those on

 

[keithski122]

I always find I get stuff in my eyes after grinding, not during.Debris from overalls,hair, from the vehicle I'm working on or even just from somewhere!

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Not just eyes - ears can suffer as well. A ball of splatter from MIG welding burn a hole though my ear drum and again burn another one when I shook my head to get it out. Hospital knew straight away what was cause and called it "welders ear" ! End result was 12 months of hopsital visits and reduced hearing in one ear.

Paul H

 

[steviec_lj]

Keep a mirror and cotton buds (the things you clean your ears with) in the garage. Amazing how useful they can be in situations like this.

BUT, that is no substitute for GOOD eye protection!

 

[Angusdog]

Goggles etc are a pain with spectacles (plus my new pair cost NZ$900...) so I use a full face mask and ear muffs. My ears have taken a hammering over the years (Thanks to Led Zeppelin and numerous motorcycles including my current one), so even smallish sudden noises are a bit painful to me.

My brother's an eye surgeon; some of his work stories make you really wince...

 

[cresad67]

Hi

I'm the same as angusdog and wear glasses , over the last 25 years working as a mechanic and welder I've never yet come across a pair of goggle's that will fit over glasses and either be comfortable or not steam everything up. I've always used a full face mask but even that doesn't stop the little blighters if there determined.

Adam

 

[Robotstar5]

For the glasses wearers (myself included) I wonder if prescription swimming goggles under your normal goggles would prevent steaming up as they are designed to seal to the face.