What would you ban and why? (Definitely tearoom!)

I was looking at a thread here on pickling with sulphuric acid.The OP's question was answered pretty quickly, but then the discussion veered off into generalities of storing/using potentially dangerous chemicals. In one reply, someone said that they would like to ban the sale of hydrofluoric acid to anywhere other than strictly controlled laboratories. Personally I'm of a liberal disposition and against banning almost anything - it's up to the individual to assess the risks in their own environment. Looking about my own workshop I can see at least five machines (on which I have had no formal training) which could cause me GBH or kill me if I was daft enough let them. Should they be banned?

Discuss!

Rob.

OK, I'll throw a hand grenade in that foxhole....

Banning something is an admission of failure. Usually education.

There, take that...

Pete

It is a fact that familiarity breeds contempt and then bad practice comes in and disaster occurs. No formal training, then tread carefully as you explore a machines power and decisive danger, dragged into a machine while alone is not funny so take care. Off hand grinding is another disaster area as particles will always be a danger to vision. Spur of the moment actions often go wrong so planning is important. Work out a series of steps and stick to it.

Whoops! Two replies and off-topic already. I'd ban off-topic replies, like this one.

Now, I wonder if the weather will hold off long enough for my Sunday stroll along the canal for a pint. . . . . . ?

John

(Morning medication just kicked in. )

I'd ban bans.

As a person who rides motorcycles I am always very wary of any attempts to ban perceived dangerous activities of any sort. Who gets to decide what is safe enough to be allowed? Eventually we will all have to sit at home and watch state-approved TV so that we can't go out and hurt ourselves. It's bad enough that they already make us wear helmets for our own good. ( I believe in wearing a helmet BTW, just not being forced to do so for my own good. It should be my decision.)

Same in my workshop. No, I will not retro fit belt guards to my 1937 lathe. I just keep my fingers away from the moving belts. If I screw up and lose a finger, that's my problem, not yours.

And I keep a big jar of about half a kilo of mercury in the cupboard for making manometers with, just for the hell of it. And a big bucket of powdered lime for heat treatment work. And vehicles that contain gallons and gallons of highly explosive petroleum! And those same vehicles have electrical systems that create, heaven forbid, SPARKS!

And some of those vehicles are very old, more than 75 years, and have no front brake, yet I have been know to ride them at about 100mph while racing other similarly mounted idiots.

Yet I am here to tell the tale.

Meanwhile, eating junk food kills far more people than workshop, workplace and road accidents combined. And it does not even have to be particularly junky junk food. Bowel cancer kills many tens of thousands of people a year, per country, and could be 90 per cent eliminated by eating more fibre in the diet. If the safety nazis really want to save serious lives, all they need to do is make eating two slices of high-fibre wholegrain toast a day mandatory.

Until they do that - lay off the bans that will not save a fraction as many lives.

Yes definately ban the tea room

Edited By JasonB on 21/08/2016 07:43:14

Having had a joinery business for 25 years i used most of the many machines myself but the one i hated was the spindle moulder. These can be bought as part of universal woodworker machines or even stand alone ones for hobby use & unless training is given they are extremely dangerous. I saw my fathers foreman loose 3 fingers & it was horendous. I employed several machinists who had lost digits in saws & spindle moulders

Spindle moulders should not be sold without evidence of training

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 21/08/2016 07:48:50

Big shops and supermarkets opening on Sundays? I have nothing against people shopping on Sundays but once Sundays were different and people did things, different activities and relaxed.

JA

If I ruled the world I would ban the stupid Sunday opening hours. I want to shop 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. I've no time for church, Sunday lunch, or listening to sing something simple..

steve

Edited By Steven Vine on 21/08/2016 09:28:08

Getting back to the original subject, like most things we do involving machines, chemicals or wild animals it involves a risk assessment of likelihood versus consequence. Minimise one and you can almost ignore the other. Education is the key, although for those unable (or unwilling) to heed good instruction that simply means learning from mistakes, which can be messy.

Mobile phones, in public at least. People might then start talking to each other again. Of course talking to strangers is now looked upon as a risk.

I would ban advertisers that call a digital caliper or micrometer a digital Vernier (unless it actually has Vernier graduations) and also people that say "I Loctited it" without specifying which adhesive grade they actually used.

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 21/08/2016 09:42:50

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I would also ban the use of phrases like 'not Myford' in ebay listings

... This is a deliberate trick to get a listing noticed, but serves little useful purpose.

MichaelG.

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Example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Drummond-BS-Type-Admiralty-lathe-not-Myford/191948230557?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38540%26meid%3D2b816e934f94415584998d02da369fe5%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D232049783729

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 21/08/2016 09:52:21

mobile phones at checkouts

Nothing to be honest, or atleast anything that wasn't already banned. Who wants their activities to be banned?

Michael W

I'd ban H&S nannying curtailing our freedom

Jon

I'd ban all commercial activity on Sundays and shut down the internet and prevent anyone leaving their homes. THEN I'd just have to spend all day in the workshop as there would be nothing else to do

Steve

"If the safety nazis really want to save serious lives, all they need to do is make eating two slices of high-fibre wholegrain toast a day mandatory."

We're gonna have to rename the tea room to the toast room to encourage this activity and give people something to amuse themselves with whilst they eat their toast.

Michael W

I'd ban Ebay and bring back bargain pages. If they were in that at least I would know that they were within range of where I live.

If we must have Ebay I would also ban their search facility especially the one used for the UK. Some other countries are marginally better. They all need a machine tools ONLY category.

Chemicals etc - mixed feelings. Many things that can be difficult to get can be used safely but there will always be some that wont and that aspect applies to all sorts of things. I once worked with some one who drilled a piece of wood held in his hand and went straight through both so ban hand drills ?

John

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People who's keyboards have verbal diarrhea.