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What common safety violations are non-pros most guilty of?

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2K views 47 replies 23 participants last post by  Kurt Bloom  
#1 ·
Recently someone posted in another thread about a guy who didn't chain a tank and got suspended from the welding floor for 3 days, and that made me think about the things I (and other non-professionals) probably do that might get us banned from work in a real shop.

The one I'm probably most guilty of is keeping a fairly messy shop, which I know is a safety issue. Related to that is not keeping correct safety gear at/near the equipment that requires it, and results in a fair amount of safety-squint-behind-reading-glasses grinding (even after having to go to an ophthalmologist once to have a steel sliver removed from my eye).

Interested in what your thoughts are, pros and non-pros alike.
 
#3 ·
What?!?!?!

I agree. I failed a hearing test in the Army - didn't even realize that I was losing it. It is just too easy to keep a pair of earplugs handy - don't skip that. I regret not being more diligent about my hearing. I now make sure I have a bulk container of earplugs on hand.
 
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#5 ·
If I don't have earplugs handy (which happens often when I'm jumping on a tractor in the field), I just stuff my ears with Kleenex... not a perfect solution but it helps. Almost always have a tissue in my pocket...
 
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#35 ·
I always have at least one pair handy in my wallet, an ancient useful flightline habit.

You can always have plugs handy by using a common machined aluminum pill case tethered to your belt with a loop of paracord tied through the hole provided in the cap. Slide loop between belt and pants then thread the vial through the loop. I also tether brass leash clips that way then clip my vehicle keys so they can't wander off when I'm lying under a truck etc.

This vial style is common from many manufacturers and has room for a rolled vehicle registration and insurance card (which is how I carry mine when motorcycling because wallets aren't waterproof).

https://www.amazon.com/Container-Air-Tight-Accessory-Waterproof-Supplements/dp/B08GSNWXZN?th=1

I keep a couple pair of foamies in the one I use for nitroglycerin pills because the foam prevents rattling which breaks them up over time.
 
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#7 ·
Have been ignoring that whole respirator thing, but the more people talk about it here on WW I am starting to warm up to the idea. I do almost everything outside but sometimes I take a shower and go to bed at night and can still smell whatever project I was working on that day. Could be welding smoke, grinder dust, sawdust or even rattle can paint.
 
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#10 ·
Respirators: Always when doing any grinding more than a couple seconds. Always with abrasive cutting wheels. Always when stick welding (been years since I have done that) or MIG. Less likely for TIG unless doing a lot of it. Useful if sweeping a lot of dust also.

Eye protection: Safety glasses w/sideshields always. Faceshield over glasses when doing most grinding and all abrasive cutting

Ear protection: Always for grinding or cutting unless it is super brief (like under 5 sec), and a lot of times I will put it on when beating something with a hammer as that loud metal-on-metal clang makes my ears hurt bad. I keep muffs handy as they are very quick on/off.

Only hobby work for me in any welding/metal stuff.
 
#12 ·
Hearing protection is one I still sometimes forget until I'm into something, though I've been getting better as time goes on, trying to protect what's left after going to many, many punk shows for 20 years or so starting in the 80s...I keep an over-the-ear headset for any sustained grinding etc.. I spent years building data centers and learned early on that most hearing damage occurs as a result of extended exposure to sound that most people wouldn't typically think of as being dangerously loud. I got used to having a bucket of disposable foam in-ear plugs sent to every cage I worked in before arrival. ;)

The no TP in the bathroom is a serious violation. As someone who was traveling with a group once that all went to "Shucktoberfest" (all you eat oysters) in Ashburn, VA on the first night of a week-long data center build, I can tell you that not having enough paper at arm's reach during emergencies should be an OSHA violation.

Worst thing I think I've seen someone else do safety-wise is my friend who climbed up to the crotch of a big tree with a 16" chainsaw, in flip-flops and after drinking at least a half dozen tall cans, to "give 'er a little trim". Somehow he remains whole to this present day, makes me wonder how.
 
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#13 ·
WHAT!!!!?????!!!! I kinda stay away from ear plugs. Whenever I put them into my ears I end up jamming my hearing aids against what's left of my brain. Can't see much without my glasses on and consider them since they made of plastic to be my eye protection. Always burning holes in my shirts from grinding and wear steel/composite toe boots all the time because I have to ankle support.
 
#14 ·
I don't have guards on my cordless grinders but I do on my corded grinders. I use my cordless at the point of weld and the guards always get in the way. Wire wheel and Disk.
Safety glasses always (readers).
Papar at 95º on up for eyeball sweat only.
Respirators......never.
I do chain the grapplers open when doing field repairs.
Sound cancelling ear buds listening to music.
 
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#16 ·
Ive worked in the coal mines most of my life...either underground or welding...when I wasnt doin that I was an ironworker...never wore earplugs...never wore a respirator...always wore the safety glasses...always wore steel toe boots...most the time I wear a hardhat...(thats a choice not a requirement)...no guards on my grinder...abused my body instead of a forklift or crane yeah I got my share of aches and pains...got in a hurry a time or 2 and smashed some fingers or got stitches somewhere else or tore up my knees and had to have them put back together (7 times). Just generally beat the livin crap out of my body...but hey I aint gonna live forever so go out with a bang

Popeye
 
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#19 · (Edited)
Ear protections reminds me -
Back in 1970 I was a driiler/blaster in a underground mine , drills were all pneumatic , ear plugs / hearing protection was unheard of { no pun intended } , best thing we had for ear protection was putting cotton in our ears ...:dizzy: Nearly all the old timers were deaf when they retired ...
 
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#23 · (Edited)
We have to remember that not a lot was known about hearing loss and the effects of loud noise exposure, by the time I was 21 I had severe hearing loss and it's worse today. Our granddaughter has this AWESOME bluetooth speaker, it's an ANKER SOUNDCORE and it sounds great, I have no idea where it came from, I found it in the front yard on top of a small storage room and gave it to her, if I had known how good it sounded I would have kept it. They also have some noise cancelling earbuds that I'm thinking of trying, I think they start at $30.00.
As far as steel toes or composites, they're not a viable option, I'm long retired and don't do anything heavy, also I may change shoes several times a day due to my feet.
All my grinders have the guards installed except the one I keep a cutoff wheel on, a 7 inch air grinder, and a 4 inch air angle grinder/die grinder and the ones with wire brushes. I would fail on extension cords due to taping, and I think OSHA says it's illegal to repair a cord smaller than either 12 guage or 14 guage, can't remember which, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna toss a cord for a bad plug!
 
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#21 ·
For work, not hobby.
Been nicked by OSHA/MSHA a couple times. No written safety program, any sort of shady electrical (cords, outlets, grounding, GFCI, trigger locks ), fall safety as/if it pertains to your situation.
Those will get you bent and stuffed every time. They were always reasonable. Fix this list, we re-inspect, and you go on about your business.
 
#24 ·
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#33 ·
And that only started getting strongly enforced in more recent times. Back when I started doing tower work, our only "fall protection" was a scare strap ( positioning lanyard ) that you hooked up after free climbing to whatever you were working on. Then the cellular boom happened, and contractors couldn't hire people fast enough. Lots of young, inexperienced workers, coupled with pressure to be on schedule and under budget, and folks started falling to their deaths left and right.( for a few years, the fatality rate was right up there with crabbing/commercial fishing ) This fueled a serious focus on fall arrest/100% tie off rules. It still took several years for those of us who came up the old way, to come around and transition to the new fangled full body harnesses, and shock absorbing lanyards, etc....It definitely has cut down on the fatalities. Enjoyed it all, but now retired and glad I don't do it anymore!
 
T
#31 ·
The things that will get you fired immediately where I work are the things that could kill your while you are employed. Improper rigging, or lifting over rated weight, while using cranes or forklift. Working at heights without proper fall protection. Using equipment that is locked out. Removing guarding from, modifying, or repairing equipment that is energized. They will harass you about glasses, grinding shields, ear plugs, and lifting heavy things, but they won’t fire you on the spot for that.
 
#36 · (Edited)
That's a great idea! With my luck I'd grab the earplug bottle and pop them under my tongue instead of the nitro------------and find the used ear wax left on it! LOL

I always thought that 4 foot rule for fall protection was ridiculous. While I fell off the second step of a heavy duty step stool when it turned over and drove one of the legs into my hip and laid me up for 2 weeks and caused me to limp for another month or so. I don't think there's many lanyards that would stop a fall within 4 feet unless it had a preinstalled anchor point & I've been in too many places where it was physically impossible to have an anchor above me, or they'd pull a 1/4" cable between standards that were 20' apart and that would let you drop a foot or more before the fall protection even started to work, in most cases I'd venture to say 4 feet would be the minimum distance you're going to fall, even then without a proper harness your body will be subjected to immense shock forces when you hit the end of the rope , so to speak, unless you have one of the fancy ones that unravels and slows you down. Check out the guys going up in bucket trucks, they're required to tie off.
 
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#37 ·
I have a friend that I coached hockey with who fell off a 6" step at work, a fabricator of HVAC ducts. He went face-first into a row of formed parts and ended up slicing half his face open and completely scalped one side of his head, and since he was essentially in immediate shock from the injury while he was falling he ended up with compound fractures of both arms as well. To say the least, it was one of the most horrific accidents I've ever seen the effects of up close. If I remember correctly the parts had been staged just inside of a marked area around the step that was supposed to be left clear/empty for safety, no idea what happened to whoever broke that rule and created the conditions that badly injured someone. He did make an almost complete recovery aside from some nerve damage in his face and a little but of a funky hairline from having have his scalp stretched up to cover the missing part, but it was months and months.

When I worked for the USDA Forest Service, there were a lot of safety protocols related to sharp tools that would get you immediately suspended/written-up if you violated them, and yep, it was "things that can maim/kill you".

You guys really exceeded my expectations when I initially asked the question...great stuff, thanks for all the insights.
 
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