Shop safety tips

[narly1]

I just saw elsewhere where a project was lost due to the lack of a proper, working fire extinguisher being readily available for use. Heartbreaking in terms of the financial and personal investment lost.

So in keeping with the idea of making our workspaces as safe as possible post your suggestions.

I'll update this original post with them.

- Keep appropriate fire extinguishers readily available and check it periodically. Maybe at least one located inside your shop AND another one immediately outside of it?

- keep the floors of your workspace as tidy and clear of loose items as possible

Earl

[DanQ]

Agree. So many times you see a fire extinguisher located right next to the flammable source. When there's a fire, it now becomes inaccessible. In our shop, we have the fire extinguishers mounted near the doors, which is an easy location to remember and they remain accessible.

[lance corsi]

I keep my floor free from any round object that if stepped on would send me askew! Air hoses, ratchet extensions, etc.

[RBachman]

Great thread.

Dittos on the fire extinguishers and keeping a tidy shop. I have a larger shop/garage and keep 4 extinguishers, 3 are near the doors and one on the lift.

I'll add in adequate (bright and evenly distributed) lighting and my wife (an MD) insisted on an up-to-date tetanus shot, LOL.

[J R Jones]

Early in professional life I worked in the fire protection industry. A supplier or the local fire department can tell you what is recommended/required in terms of size, location and application. Extinguishers are not universal, special chemicals for specific hazards. Not all dry chemical is the same. ABC will cover paper/wood and oil/gas/electrical, but it is somewhat corrosive. BC is more effective on gas/oil and like baking soda it is not corrosive.
Water is relatively clean effective and indispensable in some circumstances. Training in application is invaluable.
jim

[Dave 53]

My friend's garage after finishing the fabrication of a shifter bracket. I'm going to have a talk with him. He does have multiple fire extinguishers and a live water hose while welding. And he never sets a Stanley knife down without retracting the blade, he never crawls under the car without jack stands and he always uses eye protection. 184982

[lance corsi]

Also, clean up any grease/oil spills asap, don’t wear loose clothing when operating machinery, don’t wear synthetic fabrics when welding, be aware of others when doing any welding ( eye protection), wear chemical resistant gloves any time you use a solvent, and especially no horseplay.

[lance corsi]

Don’t wear gloves when operating machinery, don’t be tempted to use a cigarette lighter to light a torch, use the striker!
Don’t drill a pilot hole when drilling bronze.
Don’t use a dull pocket knife, it will cause you to bear down too hard.
Always use a scrap piece to push your stock thru the bandsaw cut, not your hands!

[J R Jones]

In the last week or so, I saw a video of a guy bent over a running Cobra engine (here?) with white hair blowing at the top and bottom of his face. I thought to myself that beard will not serve your image well if it gets in the serpentine belt. That would be an unusual face plant.
jim


Also, clean up any grease/oil spills asap, don’t wear loose clothing when operating machinery, don’t wear synthetic fabrics when welding, be aware of others when doing any welding ( eye protection), wear chemical resistant gloves any time you use a solvent, and especially no horseplay.

[i.e.427]

Don't get dead.................

Common sense goes a long way when it comes to shop safety.

A dumb idea is a dumb idea, whether it works or not.

Frank

[narly1]

Don't get dead.................

Common sense goes a long way when it comes to shop safety.

A dumb idea is a dumb idea, whether it works or not.

Frank

LOL Or to paraphrase: "If it looks sketchy it probably is>" LOL

I've spoken many times about the notion of "common sense".

Is there really such a thing? Or is the way that one proceeds through life based on the sum total of one's past experiences?

Earl

[Windsor]

Don't get dead.................

Common sense goes a long way when it comes to shop safety.

A dumb idea is a dumb idea, whether it works or not.

https://i.imgur.com/gt4JJAT.jpg

[lance corsi]

Ladders are dangerous?

[Jacob McCrea]

Think before you weld. I'm not proud to say it but a few times I have had rags or solvent way too close when welding. And don't use brake cleaner to prep a surface for welding, however convenient it may be. Any remaining liquid becomes mustard gas when burned.

My brother has been an electrician for 20-odd years and says the most frequent injury on their jobs isn't electric shock, it's injuries from people trying to drill into loose metal without properly securing it.

And make for damn sure that your jack stands will hold the vehicle throughout the arc of lifting and lowering the the vehicle. I had a little Nissan econo-car with a weird tubular swingarm-like rear suspension spit out the rear jack stands - a "once is enough" experience. The rear suspension arms were level and stable front to back when the front was also lifted. But when the front of the car was lowered the swingarm's angle changed, spitting out the rear stands. What other vehicles have a comparable round tubular structure running front to rear? A FFR Roadster and the Gen 1-2 coupes!

[jts359]

Tie wraps are slippery , And dont grind or weld a 1/2 hour before shutting down your word area , Ed