A close shave or why safety glasses are a must

I was using a burr in a dremel a few months back and for some reason or other it came adrift and flew out i just couldn't find it until the other day when I found it embedded in the roof, you can only imagine what would have happened if it had gone in my eye.

I do wear prescription safety glasses all the time when I'm in my shed, never the less its was quite sobering.

Be warned

Stew

I have seen many such things being a health and safety officer like running a metal wheeled trolley over a 415v 3 phase cable in a walkway. Trying to flick a bit of swarf from a drill with chain mail glove on ( the finger was stripped to the bone down to second knuckle ) and an operator on a CNC mill forgot to remove a clocking arm and then starting program at 10,000 rpm it almost went through 10mm polycarbonate sheet in machine door.

David

If you ain't doin' this fer pay, run slow and cut light.

First thing I do is put my safety specs on.

Nearly lost my eye 12 years ago at work! (long story, 5 operations to save the eye)

Jim

The human eye is remarkably good at defending itself but it is also extremely easy to damage if subject to fast moving missiles that defeat its defences. I must admit that I do not put glasses on as soon as I enter the workshop but do use them when required.

Mike

When I was moving from machine to machine during my apprenticeship in the toolroom of a plastics factory, Adonis (nicknamed thus as a result of his vanity) was a miller on the Cincinnati next to the milling machine I began using. Whether he was self-conscious or careless I can’t be sure; he was certainly accident prone. Proof being that he managed to break a 1" diameter reamer into pieces while running the mill too fast. A sliver of the reamer hit another chap in the face some distance away. It could have hit someone in the eye!

After ‘clocking’ a hole in a work piece on the Cincinnati using a Verdict dial indicator, our hero returned the spindle from neutral into gear. Pressing the ‘Start’ button by mistake, the Verdict did a couple of turns at a speed setting of some 500 rpm or more before disintegrating. The only part ever found was the face of the indicator, folded neatly in half.

This next anecdote which again included our idol, was not so serious but nevertheless highlights the need to concentrate.

In the fifties, we made all our own sprue bushes. The taper was never a standard angle, and it was often the job of whichever apprentice was on the apprentice’s lathe to rough out from bar-stock a slightly oversize HSS blank for the reamer. On one occasion, Adonis had the job of milling the flutes in one such reamer.

Complete with centring holes and after they had been fluted, they went to Syd for hardening. A high temperature electric arc furnace provided the necessary heat. Percy, who operated the precision tool and cutter-grinder, would then grind the flutes to the appropriate dimensions. At that juncture however, and too late in the schedule for a new one to be made, Percy found that Adonis had milled the flutes left-handed. There was no choice but to continue with the LH reamer.

Perhaps I was the senior apprentice by then, but I had the job of making and reaming the sprue bush on the only small lathe that could be set to run in reverse. The drive was from an overhead counter-shaft and it was a relatively easy matter to twist the flat belt. Of concern (of course) was the need to stop instantly in case the lathe chuck began to unscrew. I doubt that exposed flat-belt drives as they were then would ever meet safety regulations these days.

Changing spindle speed on the lathe had to be done with a long stick and a flick of the wrist while the lathe was running. At the other end of the shop's counter-shaft feeding five or six other machines, was a 10 hp electric motor.

By the way, I'm talking about the early 50's.

Sam

Edited By Sam Stones on 09/04/2019 09:45:59

It does not matter what hobby people persuethey should be aware of dangers. As many know I would like to eventually get some equipment and make some models in metal whether it be a small steam engine or a train. At the moment I do a lot of wood turning and have had a piece fly off of the lathe hitting me full in the face, wood had hidden faults in it .I was prudent enough to have some protective equipment on not only for the protection of things hitting me in the face but also lung protection.

I may look silly wearing it but it is my safety I worry about more. The jacket has a high neck line which when closed looks like a poloneck jumper

Better to look "silly"than to be silly.Some timbers can be unforgiving,as I know only too well.

All shops can be dangerous,just have to use common sense [What,s that ,I hear you say ? ],yes indeed.

It,s a rear gift,given to few,but needed by many. You might manage your shop minus a finger or two,but without your eyes ???????. That,s a No No !

I have had a few disputes with my saws,routers,even my spindle moulder and have the proof but nothing too serious,although few of my fingers are quite the same shape they use to be [makes my hands look "interesting",as a Doctor once said to me ]

So have fun but Do take care. They dont give out medals in our line.

Not something that anyone would want but I disagree after seeing this

Edited By Derek Lane 2 on 09/04/2019 11:14:50

I have worn glasses since I was a toddler & wear varifocal in every day use; but as soon as I go into my man cave I put on my bifocal safety glasses, if I am machining an unidentified piece of brass ( which most of my stuff is ) & it starts spraying fine chips off then I also wear a full face safety shield same applies to milling machine use.

George.

All good points about glasses, shields and other PPE. Can't be too careful especially with eyes.

But when I first saw Stew's picture with the embedded cutter, I thought "why the heck is Stew Dremeling the shop ceiling?"

As a glasses wearer I can recomend the Uvex Super OTG.

**LINK**

I often forget I am wearing them when I leave the cellar.

Perfect. I've been looking for someting to fit over regular glasses. Sadly out of stock at ArcEuro though.

Two incidents come to mind from work. I was about to drill a small hole in a stainless nut for locking wire. I asked a nearby workmate to put his glasses on but he was reluctant so I insisted and wouldn't start until he did. Once started (using a high revving pneumatic drill) at some point the small drill disintegrated and a piece hit the workmate just below his glasses on his cheek. He thanked me for insisting on tbe glasses.

Another workmate was releasing a luggage elastic from something and it slipped from his hand. Tbe end swung around the structure it was on and hit the centre of one lens of his safety glasses with enough force to knock them back and cut his eyebrow area. Blinking would not have helped there.

Martin C

Hopper, they are in stock at my supplier but P+P may be a problem

**LINK**

the uvex safety glasses are available from Screwfix.

I have about five or six pairs of goggles spread around my workshop, various grades.

Next PPE purchase will be a better face mask, my old one died and I've been using disposables, but they just aren't as good. Might get one which takes a cartridge.

Did some routing (mahogany, pine, MDF) recently, don't want to breath those!

Neil

One of the hairiest jobs I was ever involved in was pipe backoff on a drilling rig.

Some quick background, sometimes the drill bit gets stuck, it won't pull out of the hole and it won't rotate. As time passes the drill pipe up from the bit slowly gets stuck until only an unknown length of pipe is still free to surface. This free pipe is recovered before the stuck pipe gets fished or the hole deviated around the stuck pipe.

By means of stretch measurements and torque measurements the deepest free point is determined and an attempt is made to unscrew a connection as deep as possible in the free section. Right hand torque to 100% of the safe maximum is applied and is worked down by pulling and relaxing the pipe. The connection to be unscrewed is now placed in neutral tension by calculating and lifting the buoyant weight of the pipe down to the target depth.

It now starts to get a little hairy. Left hand torque to a value of 80% of the previous maximum is now carefully wound in. Please think of stored energy here. Perhaps 10 turns of left hand torque are now being applied with the aid of 2m long pipe tongs pulled by meaty chains to a mile or two of pipe 5-1/2" in OD with 0.3" to 0.4" wall thickness. The final step is to lower an explosive charge (primacord and a detonator) down to the connection to be unscrewed. The bang should initiate the required backoff with an explosive release of stored pipe energy.

As a young green field engineer going out to my first backoff job I was advised by my boss to identify the tool pusher (the oldest and most senior man on the rig floor) and make sure I was standing behind him whenever any torque was on the stuck pipe. I found this advice both powerful and effective.

On a subsequent job I witnessed the pipe tongs flying across the rig floor and the belated dives of the rig crew. Fortunately no one was in the wrong place.

Of course we always had full PPE but I never had much confidence in it providing effective protection.

P.S. I've now ordered some safety glasses from China to sit over my progressive lens spectacles.

Edited By Colin Whittaker on 11/04/2019 03:40:01

One of the few safety rules that i always stick to, never enter my workshop without first changing my normal glasses to my prescription safety glasses. If somebody comes into the workshop they either wear safety eyewear supplied or go away??? After 40 years in the motor trade and two friends losing eyes by not wearing their available eyewear I take no risks. My rule in the shop either wear it or go away!!!!

I tend to wear ear defenders for noisy jobs as well. You can get safety specs with built in defenders on the arms - I just need to find a supplier.