A close shave or why safety glasses are a must

RPE doesn't work unless you are clean shaven, and I know that it is not practical to have RPE face fitted in a domestic situation but you should at least test your chosen RPE with a strong smell, you shouldn't be able to smell whatever your testing it against, if you can the RPE doesn't fit and isn't providing protection.

PPE is ideally brought from a PPE supplier anywhere else and you can't be sure that it compares with the respective standards. Places such as: Arco **LINK** ; or Greenhams **LINK**

I have had to go to hospital to have a lump of metal removed form an eye... Not nice but luckily I had not done any lasting harm.

it's not only flying burrs or shards we've to consider, either; but there are times when we are handling chemicals would not want on our hands, let alone eyes.

Once, I dismantled an old NiFe (Nickel-Iron) mining-lamp case to replace the original three cells with a sealed lead-acid battery; for caving. The NiFe used alkaline electrolyte, and there were instances of people sustaining burns from this, usually when the filling/vent plugs on the cells leaked.

On my occasion I was sure the cells were all empty. Each cell was in a moulded-rubber case, making them a tight fit inside the stainless-steel outer battery case. One came away suddenly, causing me to stumble, but apparently without other problems.

Now, acid tells you it's there almost immediately, but alkali is insidious. It was not until that night I started to have something akin to "arc-eye", and realised I must have caught a tiny spray of remnant electrolyte, projected by the sudden movement as the cell came free.

Treatment was in Casualty, by running a thin stream of weak saline solution across the eye by cannula, for I think an hour - but with some discomfort for a while afterwards, not to mention the fear.

SO easy to hurt yourself; but these days there is even less excuse because PPE is so readily available from builders' stockists as well the engineering trade; and genuine health & safety advice and information is very easy to find.

In fact I'm only surprised we see very little PPE offered for sale on our exhibition trade-stands, or advertised in the model-engineering literature.

Edited By Nigel Graham 2 on 05/05/2019 01:06:24

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Arc Euro Trade is setting an excellent example

... see the advert towards top-right of this page.

MichaelG.

Michael, lost the Arc ad from my screen several days ago, still wondering why.

Perhaps the Badger is blocking it, must check.

Emgee

Edited By Emgee on 05/05/2019 10:34:26

I prefer a full face shield after the following incident, it saving my face from being ripped open and possibly an eye destroyed into the bargain.

Was using the Emco Star circular saw to cut 1/8 ply used for the tool drawers I was making.

My mistake was the fact that the machine was only 2" off the ground, thus when one strip of ply reached the end of the cut it jammed between saw and fence and was flung straight out and upwards, impacting the face shield.

That face shield has a dent to show the impact.

I still shudder thinking what could have happened, and not forgetting the time the blade had a go at the heel of my palm.

Geoff - The machine is now at a safer working height.

A lot of people on YT use a circular saw with no riving knife fitted without one as I am sure we all know the timber can close onto the blade and get thrown towards the operator

Mick 🇬🇧

Hi

Maybe a bullet proof vest would help? But then again maybe not

**LINK**

Regards
John