Bad thoughts....are good?

[Jay Pique]

I've been doing a bunch of work on the shaper and every now and again I get this visual of my fingers being mauled by the cutterhead. It actually made me shudder a few days ago. Now I have been sort of imagining it using other tools as well - table saw, jointer, etc... I'd say I'm relatively safe by commercial shop standards, but I think this is actually helping me to stay even more focused when using the machines. It's not a fear of the tool, it's more of a clear vision of what could happen if I don't pay attention and use proper technique. Amazing thing, the mind. JP

[Lee Michaels]

Reminds me of a cabinet shop I went into along time ago. The owner had HUGE push pads he built. They had rubber on the bottom. The handles were quite large and well above the shaper (and jointer) bed. He also had a ridge all around the top of the pushpads.

The whole idea was to keep the hands away from anything that could mangle them.

[Don Fearn]

I think it was "Jay Pique" who stated:

GOOD attitude, JP. It reminds me of what goes through my mind when I strap on all the Safety Shtuff (boots, pants, jacket, gloves, and helmet) before getting on a motorcycle EVERY time I ride. It isn't fear; it's respect. It doesn't result in no risk; it results in reduced risk. And it reminds me to seriously focus on what I'm about to do. It's a good way to run most aspects of our lives, methinks.

-Don (feeling philosophical this evening)

-- Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine

[Joe Bemier]

I use my Shaper often and always have similar thoughts. It's a very dangerous piece of equip unless respected.

Good Thinking!

[Tanus]

Last April (the 1st, as SWMBO is quick to remind me) I ran my thumb into my TS blade while it was running. In the car on the way to ER, I passed out from the pain, and spent a number of weeks in agony with sensitivity problems and worries about jamming that lil digit into anything.

10 months later it's still very sensitive, although not sore. Damage was minimal and you really have to look to see that anything happened. I was lucky.

Every time I fire up the TS, router, or any other piece of machinery, the memories of what I did come screaming back to me. Yeah, I can visualize my finger/thumb/hand being mauled by hand tools too. As someone else pointed out, it's not fear, but respect. Fear would prevent me from even opening the door to the shop.

My level of respect for all my tools has increased dramatically. I wish that respect had been there last April, but I'm very happy to have it with me now.

Tanus

[Zz Yzx]

What you're doing is becoming a standardized safety practice in many workplaces.

It's called an "SPSA", for "Safe Practice Self Assessment", among other things. Basically, it means that, at the beginning of every new task, you ask yourself "What could go wrong" and "What do I need to do so nothing goes wrong".

All of my clients (major oil companies) have implemented behavior-based safety programs (e.g., "Loss Prevention System, "LPS") of which SPSA's are a major component. The purpose is to identify and change risky behavior BEFORE the accident occurs.

-Zz

[Puckdropper]

Zz Yzx wrote in news: [e-mail]:

*snip*

*snip*

One other thing to consider is "What do I do when something goes wrong?"

Puckdropper

[Jay Pique]

innews: [e-mail]:

We were actually laughing about our "emergency response plan" the other day if someone lost a thumb or something. It pretty much boiled down to "freak right the hell out" and "run shrieking through the shop". Then we all sort of got quiet for a minute and wandered off back to work. It should be addressed, no doubt. JP

[root]

I've been "lucky" enough to witness some accidents for myself, and that's enough to envision my own hands getting mangled. Large (and hypnotic) production run, slipperly malemine... well, you know the story.

For those that haven't yet, go rent and watch "The Machinist" at least.

It doesn't give you the full picture... like what it's like to > I've been doing a bunch of work on the shaper and every now and again I