So, I almost lost a digit yesterday. While cutting a lopsided piece of wood for a neighbor, I had to hold the "blade guard" up so it could cut properly. But somehow the thick plastic blade guard got sucked into the blade's path causing a deafening noise while shrapnel exploded across my front yard.
After I checked to make sure my son and neighbors were OK, I felt a horrible pain in my left thumb. The very thumb that was holding up the blade guard just moments before. Was I going to look down and see half my thumb missing?
My thumb was still there. Luckily. But the thumbnail was lifted up during the explosion -- it will probably fall off in a few weeks and look really ugly.
So, the moral of this story is simply, "don't be dumb" and "always wear safety glasses".
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2 comments:
Good post, Matt. It reminds me of a summer job I had while in college at a heating & air conditioning (HVAC) company. I worked in the shop with Joe, bending, cutting and folding sheet metal into custom air ducts all day long. For the first month, I sliced the palms of my hands every single day - that's how sharp the edges sheet metal was.
Joe had also removed all of the safety guides & gear on the equipment, "... cause it just slows you down," he'd explain with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Honestly I remember my last day of work at the shop - and I was so happy that I didn't lose a finger, or cut myself too badly. It was great motivation heading back to college. :)
Spectrum Bridge, parent company of SpecEx
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