06-11-2012, 09:51 AM
Hi,
What an interesting thread. Gary kindly sent me details of this saw safety device and I agree it is most impressive. Unfortunately however a machine can be covered in guards and safety devices but someone will find a way of having an accident.
http://www.training-its.co.uk/paslodehil...course.asp
David as usual makes a lot of sense in that many accidents are caused through lack of common sense or sheer stupidity. Another thing plays a part though and this is ignorance; many novices buying these potentially dangerous power tools/machines have never used one previously in fact many might not have even cut a piece of wood using a hand saw. We all make silly mistakes whilst learning a new skill but it is the degree of mistake which is the problem; hit your thumb with a hammer is most common and I'm sure many of us has repeated this lots of times but once the switch is thrown on a machine a silly mistake becomes much more serious and in many cases has proved fatal. I can pop into Screwfix and pick up a big Paslode gas cartridge nail gun; any novice playing with one of these guns will soon find out that it doesn't take much to trigger the gun firing the nail in an instant. I've used air nailers many times and own two but I treat them with respect. Out of curiosity I just looked on the web for "Hilti nail gun regulations" the search brought up the above training center. I've been on training courses sponsored by the firms I worked for but would a novice be willing to pay hundreds of pounds to attend such a course. Perhaps it would pay the government to set up such training centers free of charge because the cost would be saved through the NHS and hopefully many "accidents" avoided.
David also mentions chainsaws; these too can be highly dangerous when operated by someone unfamiliar with safe working practices around machines; saw-benches and portable power saws are equally as dangerous but any adult can buy these.
I worked for a firm where a highly intelligent top manager asked an employee to check the managers car windscreen wiper saying it wasn't cleaning the windscreen; the employee found the wiper blade unit completely missing just leaving the arm and the tip of the arm had scored a large arc across the windscreen; this is a true story because I was shown the car.
I wonder what would happen if such a guy was let loose with a chainsaw or nail gun?
I was brought up from the age of 15 around huge machines all having open belts and gears but fortunately I was very well supervised; actual basic training on the use of hand tools and power tools could easily be covered in a day. In my last job I was in charge of the timber department and previous to me taking over employees would wander in and start machines to cut a bit of wood etc. I compiled a list of all these people and arranged for an instructor to come on site and every person using these machines from then on must have the basic training certificate; this training included me and the regular employees who had used the machinery for many years. The timber department was then locked at the end of the shift.
I've seen people do the stupidest things as I have done but I hope I'm going to be around for many years to come even though I'll still do stupid things.
Kind regards, Col.
What an interesting thread. Gary kindly sent me details of this saw safety device and I agree it is most impressive. Unfortunately however a machine can be covered in guards and safety devices but someone will find a way of having an accident.
http://www.training-its.co.uk/paslodehil...course.asp
David as usual makes a lot of sense in that many accidents are caused through lack of common sense or sheer stupidity. Another thing plays a part though and this is ignorance; many novices buying these potentially dangerous power tools/machines have never used one previously in fact many might not have even cut a piece of wood using a hand saw. We all make silly mistakes whilst learning a new skill but it is the degree of mistake which is the problem; hit your thumb with a hammer is most common and I'm sure many of us has repeated this lots of times but once the switch is thrown on a machine a silly mistake becomes much more serious and in many cases has proved fatal. I can pop into Screwfix and pick up a big Paslode gas cartridge nail gun; any novice playing with one of these guns will soon find out that it doesn't take much to trigger the gun firing the nail in an instant. I've used air nailers many times and own two but I treat them with respect. Out of curiosity I just looked on the web for "Hilti nail gun regulations" the search brought up the above training center. I've been on training courses sponsored by the firms I worked for but would a novice be willing to pay hundreds of pounds to attend such a course. Perhaps it would pay the government to set up such training centers free of charge because the cost would be saved through the NHS and hopefully many "accidents" avoided.
David also mentions chainsaws; these too can be highly dangerous when operated by someone unfamiliar with safe working practices around machines; saw-benches and portable power saws are equally as dangerous but any adult can buy these.
I worked for a firm where a highly intelligent top manager asked an employee to check the managers car windscreen wiper saying it wasn't cleaning the windscreen; the employee found the wiper blade unit completely missing just leaving the arm and the tip of the arm had scored a large arc across the windscreen; this is a true story because I was shown the car.
I wonder what would happen if such a guy was let loose with a chainsaw or nail gun?
I was brought up from the age of 15 around huge machines all having open belts and gears but fortunately I was very well supervised; actual basic training on the use of hand tools and power tools could easily be covered in a day. In my last job I was in charge of the timber department and previous to me taking over employees would wander in and start machines to cut a bit of wood etc. I compiled a list of all these people and arranged for an instructor to come on site and every person using these machines from then on must have the basic training certificate; this training included me and the regular employees who had used the machinery for many years. The timber department was then locked at the end of the shift.
I've seen people do the stupidest things as I have done but I hope I'm going to be around for many years to come even though I'll still do stupid things.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
