I ask my wife to check on me once in a while when I’m in the garage.
Most accidents in the garage happen really quietly. It’s like when people drown … deadly things can happen without a sound ever made or not much sound.
I’ve heard of guys getting stuck under their vehicles because they ignored basic caution and thought they could get away with a risky situation.
I know two mechanics that dropped their vehicle from a hoist, and one of them were killed.
So many things in a garage that can casually kill or maim you
Air tools or air compressors
drills drill presses
saws for wood or metal
grinding wheels
lathe
welding equipment
presses or jacking equipment moving heavy weights or generating lots of force
chemicals and not knowing how dangerous they can be
carbon dioxide or other substances displacing oxygen
… and that’s just in a garage … the dangers increase when you start wood working construction or renovations in, on, under or near a house
I don’t work under cars or on ladders when I’m home alone. The idea of slowly dying from a crush injury or broken back is enough to stay away. And another set of eyes saying, “That’s really fucking dumb, mate” can help keep things in perspective.
Electrical work is a place where I probably take too many liberties… So easy to stop your heart if you accidentally touch the wrong thing. But turning off the breaker is a pain.
Death is not that far away in a home shop or garage
Last year I had some trouble with my air compressor. It was a small double tank portable unit that kept hissing with a loose connector. I put up with it for months, then I finally looked at it. It was a high pressure line leading to the regulator that was about to explode … if it had broken off, it would have launched the whole regulator unit like shrapnel into my face or hands like a small grenade.
I junked the whole thing and bought an even bigger compressor with a 40 gallon tank. Now my worry is that if this tank ever explodes, it will take me out and half the garage.
I ask my wife to check on me once in a while when I’m in the garage.
Most accidents in the garage happen really quietly. It’s like when people drown … deadly things can happen without a sound ever made or not much sound.
I’ve heard of guys getting stuck under their vehicles because they ignored basic caution and thought they could get away with a risky situation.
I know two mechanics that dropped their vehicle from a hoist, and one of them were killed.
So many things in a garage that can casually kill or maim you
… and that’s just in a garage … the dangers increase when you start wood working construction or renovations in, on, under or near a house
I don’t work under cars or on ladders when I’m home alone. The idea of slowly dying from a crush injury or broken back is enough to stay away. And another set of eyes saying, “That’s really fucking dumb, mate” can help keep things in perspective.
Electrical work is a place where I probably take too many liberties… So easy to stop your heart if you accidentally touch the wrong thing. But turning off the breaker is a pain.
Death is not that far away in a home shop or garage
Last year I had some trouble with my air compressor. It was a small double tank portable unit that kept hissing with a loose connector. I put up with it for months, then I finally looked at it. It was a high pressure line leading to the regulator that was about to explode … if it had broken off, it would have launched the whole regulator unit like shrapnel into my face or hands like a small grenade.
I junked the whole thing and bought an even bigger compressor with a 40 gallon tank. Now my worry is that if this tank ever explodes, it will take me out and half the garage.