Young bloke looses eye

[Brett]

Just found out a young fella I knew lost an eye about 6 months ago.
Using a cold chisel that had mushroomed on the hammer end.
Well those mushrooms split and can come off quickly.

I know Ive been guilty of having centre punches and cold chisels in the same condition.

Just keep the story in mind ...far better to learn of things like this second hand rather than first hand.

Brett

[fwalz3]

I still have a metal chip on my knee from a piece that flew off of a cold chisel. Safety glasses are a must!!! (not that they would have helped my knee)

[MicroZone]

I always wear safety glasses any time I'm in my shop...any time, I don't have to be grinding, cutting, chipping or welding.

[zapster]

i still have the sharp end of a chipping hammer in my thigh since 1980..
unless it dissolved by now...

...zap!

[Joe H]

Originally Posted by MicroZone

I always wear safety glasses any time I'm in my shop...any time, I don't have to be grinding, cutting, chipping or welding.

Same here, I put them on and forget about them. I get so used to them I sometimes forget to take them off when I leave the shop. I've had friends stop by and say "nice shades" after I've been in the house for an hour or so.

[Kalroy]

I'd like to recommend ear plugs also. Not just for the hearing loss (though that's very important) but the first time a bit of slag or spark bounces into your ear while welding in position.....

[Rick V]

EYE SAFETY

I just returned from the hospital where they extracted a tiny steel sliver from my eye - the result of grinding a weld this weekend.
Yes, I was wearing safety glasses - with side wings. However, there was very little gap between the bottom of the glasses and my face and some gap at the top of the glasses. I don't know how the sliver got past but it did.

The sliver is out - but my one day delay in getting to the hospital caused the steel sliver to rust!.... it left a ring of rust on my cornea. They got part of that ring-of-rust off but I go to the eye institute tomorrow for a final clean up.
If this should happen to you - don't wait for rust to start, get to the hospital.

Lesson: Safety glasses are not enough. When grinding, wear an additional face shield.

Make darn certain that your safety glasses fit well - I like the new wrap around kind with almost no gaps. Still, one should have tape or something closing those gaps. Maybe goggles are better... but I hate em cause they tend to fog. I don't know - stand off goggles over wrap arounds?

Anyway - it only take a little piece of steel to create a problem.
BE AWARE and PROTECT YOURSELF!

Rick V

[drivesector]

mmmmmmmm Slag in the ear, Got to love it when that happens. Only happens when you are cramped under something and cant move fast enough to turn over. Nothing like the crisp clear sizzle that makes. Been there done that. OUCH!

[Rick V]

The sliver is out - but my one day delay in getting to the hospital caused the steel sliver to rust!.... it left a ring of rust on my cornea. They got part of that ring-of-rust off but I go to the eye institute tomorrow for a final clean up.

Final Clean Up:
At the Eye Institute, the ophthalmologist froze my eye with eye drops then used what can best be described as a battery powered, mini-Dremel tool, to carefully grind away the upper layer of the eye cornea in the area containing the rust. Sounds gruesome - but I didn't feel a thing.

So, now I am on steroid drops for the eye.
(I guess my Olympic hopes are dashed as I would fail the drug/doping tests.)

So, I am OK - but it can happen so fast.
Live and Learn - Safety First.

Rick V

[Rick V]

Update:
After two weeks I had a follow up check at the Eye Institute. My vision was good and everything had healed well - just a small scar remaining.

Scary Stuff:
The lady intern asked me how it had happened and I replied 'using a grinder'. She said, 'We get a lot of patients here injured the same way. You were lucky; I had a fellow here two days ago who was not so lucky!'
Whoa - that rattled me.... still does.

Moral of the Story:
We are not invisible - so protect yourself with adequate equipment.

Rick V

[Shaggz00]

I had a steel sliver extracted from my eye about two months ago. I still have no clue how it got there though. Dunno if it was from work or from home.

Rick - Did you feel the piece of steel in your eye?

I never even felt it hit, nor did it irritate my eye. It really makes me wonder because I always wear a full face shield when cutting/grinding. So it's not like it even should have a little place to sneak in. Well I noticed it one night when I was out drinking with some friends, I was in the bathroom washing my face and noticed a dot on my eye. I blinked several times and rinsed my eye with water but it was still there. I had to go through the same thing at the opthamologists. Rust on the eye and whatnot. I had to go back 4 times. Yay for the little dremmel tool on the eyeball. It was all good though, cuz my nurse was hot, .

[mccolld]

Re: the mushroomed steel

I have a friend that completely lost vision in one eye from a dagger shaped sliver of steel that pierced it. He as driving a grounding stake next to the foundation of his new house with a sledge hammer when a 1/2" sliver split off and shot into his eye like an arrow. He wasn't wearing any eye protection. The eyeball wasn't damaged enough to necessitate removal but looking at it sure will ruin your appetite.

[Rick V]

I never even felt it hit, nor did it irritate my eye.
Rick - Did you feel the piece of steel in your eye?

Shaggz00 - I never felt the metal hit my eye; it's just that I felt something in my eye while I was still grinding. I didn't pay much attention because it just felt like a small piece of grit that would flush out. It felt the same as if you got some dirt/dust in your eye from sweeping the floor with a broom. After a few hours, it did begin to irritate my eye; it felt more persistent than a dust spec and it wouldn't wash out, nor did it move around like a spec of dust would.

Come the next morning (red eye), I could definitely feel that there was something stuck in my eye - the eye lid lifted a mite going over it. At other times, I could hardly feel it - but the eye itself was flaring RED and people were commenting, "What's wrong with your eye?"

I had to go back 4 times. Yay for the little dremmel tool on the eyeball. It was all good though, cuz my nurse was hot

Wow - 4 times! ... about the same # of visits as someone here at work who delayed about 4 days before going to the hospital - 4 days of rust is more difficult to remove.
*Sigh... I cannot describe my nurse as 'hot' - I would say, "some guys have all the luck"... but in this situation I would prefer an efficient 'Troll'.


Rick V

[littlefuzz]

I hate the feeling of a piece of spatter dancing on my eardrum.