Shop Safety Question

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Hi All

Background....Ya ll know by now about my NN issue. Anyhow in a round about way this has raised a issue i never gave any thought to and still dont have a solution to so thought I would check in with ya all for a solution.

When i come into the house after being out in the shop I always ask LOML if she heard my noise. I then reflect on what i was doing and mentally calibrate the element of disturbance for each operation.

In actual fact i have very little noise radiating from my shop. This has caused a concern of sorts to LOML since she uses this noise to know i am still kicking out there. Not that its an indicator.

So we got to talking and discussing how she would even know if something went wrong and i was not able to help myself to get attention from anyone.

Then this morning i see Stus post on the BBQ getting it out of the dungeon and thought wow whats his plan if something happens to him in there.

So my big question is has anyone got an idea or thought of this issue and have something to add or suggest in regards to combating this issue?

I would guess that the majority of us are solitary workers and we have all seen how accidents happen to even the most experienced of us. A machine running does not say we are ok. Could have had a chunk of wood fly off the lathe or TS and knock us out such that the domino effect could have caused serious injury.

Anyone have a plan, thought here? Yeah I know and we all know we should wear safety equipment etc but even that does not stop accidents.



This does cause LOML concern as noted from the fact that when i was busy last week cleaning out mortises with a sharp chisel and no bashing, inside for hours she heard no noise at all. She brought me a cup of tea to ckeck as to my status.
 
We have cell phones with bluetooth (teeth?), and both are voice activated, so if hubby is in the shop and has an accident, he can call me just by touching his bluetooth and saying my name (or wife, however he has it programmed). I'm pretty good about checking on him regularly when he's working out there. But maybe it's time to think about a panic button in the shop???
 
No plan. I always worked the farm alone. We did not live there, it was about five miles from our house. I hunt and ATV ride alone most of the time.
Life has dangers. I choose to not live in a closet.
But, when cell phones first came started getting popular about 1996 my wife insisted I get one so I could call for help if needed. That is still pretty much my only life net.
Prevention is the best cure. That is not denial, something can always happen.
You want to call or see me? Don't look in the closet.
 
Again, no plan, but the shop is only about 30 yards behind the house and LOML says she can hear the machines running and everytime I drop something out there... cell phones don't work at our house 'cause no local tower. I do have a phone in the shop connected to the house network and can call out from there. We have talked about and actually have a set of walkie-talkies, but our son bought them and didn't keep the instructions, so we're not sure how or if they actually would work.
 
........inside for hours she heard no noise at all. She brought me a cup of tea to ckeck as to my status.

Really, that is about your only answer, make sure you have someone check on you now and then.

Do you have a conduit between the shop and the house? If you do and you have room in it, put in an interphone, then she can just buzz you to check up on you, and ask you if you need a fresh cup of joe :thumb:

A couple of other things I've heard mention on some forums, make sure you have a phone in the shop, a landline, like Larry said, 911, and if you can, put i two, make one very low to the ground, so if you ever get knocked out you could crawl to it to use it.

The best thing is to have you wife check on you from time to time.

That is another reason I gave up the late night, early morning Dungeon work hours, no one is awake to check on me.

Cheers!
 
No plan. I always worked the farm alone. We did not live there, it was about five miles from our house. I hunt and ATV ride alone most of the time.
Life has dangers. I choose to not live in a closet.
But, when cell phones first came started getting popular about 1996 my wife insisted I get one so I could call for help if needed. That is still pretty much my only life net.
Prevention is the best cure. That is not denial, something can always happen.
You want to call or see me? Don't look in the closet.

i can relate to the huntin and ridun frank and definatly not one to hide in a closet but after falling out of a tree, i have since changed some of my habits.. i now hunt with a nephew. and for the most part leave note as to where i am ..once yu have been in a tense situation on rock pile from 18feet you do sometimes wake up:) even as dense as i am.. so as for the wood shop just peridic check or the phone.
 
1. I have an intercom in the shop that connects to both the livingroom in the house, and to her quilting studio. BTW, bought it at Radio Shack for about $40.00. It uses the house wiring for transmission, so no other hookup was necessary. Another good point about it is that the 'call' button is big enough to hit with my elbow, if I have/need to...

2. I have a "Large Button" phone in the shop, and 911 is on speed dial.

3. For times when I'm out in the yard - the 'back forty' isn't readily visible from the house - I have a pair of radio handsets to keep in touch with the house.

Plus there's always the cell phones...
 
Not knowing how far away the house is from the shop, maybe a cam monitor is in order:dunno::dunno:. That way you can have your very own New (or old) Yankee Workshop. Might even be able to order a cup of java :coffee:
Reg
 
My advice is to get a 24 year old hottie to stay in the shop with you. The problem then would be how much work would you get accomplished :rofl:

And of course how do you justify this to the LOML "whatever that is":dunno:
 
We have a couple sets of cordless phones, one of them lives in the shop with me. It has an intercom feature, but that's about it. It's funny this topic comes up because I was just thinking about it the other day ...

Periodic check-ins are probably the best defense.


The world is my closet and crap happens there so I'd rather be prepared to get help if at all possible. :)
 
I have a home alarm system with an emergency button for medical emergency.on my key chain fob.
If I press it, and they dont get a response, they will call 911.
OFcourse, this is all theoretical, Ive never pressed the button.
If i get knocked out, it makes no difference.
 
I have a home alarm system with an emergency button for medical emergency.on my key chain fob.
If I press it, and they dont get a response, they will call 911.
OFcourse, this is all theoretical, Ive never pressed the button.
If i get knocked out, it makes no difference.

as much as yu get done in a day, even if yu were knocked out yu would stil be moving:)
 
My shop is in the garage about 6ft from the house. I always have my cell phone in my pocket while out there...ususally it's only use is my wife calling saying, "I'm going to bed, be quiet when you come in"

The worse accident I've had, read it here, I was able to walk back inside.

Hope things stay that way.
 
Lotsa variables in these scenarios.
I carry a cell phone on my belt on the right side. Supposin' I injured my right hand. Dunno :dunno: if I could get it out OK with left hand and dial. Pain and state of mind would come into play quite a bit, I'm sure.
And, these past two weeks, I have been a bachelor/hermit at home. Nobody to yell for.
We all make choices.
 
Allen,

I believe some of those "Life Alert" type things have a feature where if you are immoblie for a certain period they will send a signal automatically. If you wear one and keep moving, even slightly, they are "On Alert" so to speak. If you were unconcious, it would sense that and send the signal to whatever base unit it was programmed for.

Not all units will work that way but some do.

Aloha, Tony (Who has been thinking of that same thing lately too)
 
I’m retired and The Bride works, so I am in the shop by myself, so if I can’t pull my cell phone out and dial 911, then the kids get to divide up the tools. I try to follow safety rules, and learn from my mistakes, but when it is time to visit the hard wood forest in the sky, it is your time. Being a loner and having been retired for ten years, I do most of my activities alone: fishing, hiking, kayaking, woodworking, turning, but I try not to tempt the Big Guy and do things as safely as I can and always file a “flight plan” for outdoor activities, and stop doing them when I feel I can no longer do it safely. I always carry a charged cell phone everywhere, and a portable marine radio when kayaking. I won’t stay curled up in a fetal position in the closet in fear that something will happen. Life is to short not to live it fully. This hit home this week when one of my son’s HS lacrosse coaches, the nutrition, strength and conditioning coach, died in his sleep of a heart attack, at age 41. Go figure.
 
I have a little different approach. Webcams. Since I'm retired, most of my shop time is during the hours my wife is at work. We keep in touch throughout the day via Yahoo Messenger. Depending on my activity, I'll turn on a webcam so she can keep an eye on me. I have three cams I can use: one each in fixed positions on both sides of my shop; another on a tripod that I can aim wherever if I'm outside the range of the other cams.

I also have a cordless phone -- one of a pair -- on its charger in the shop. The base is in the house and I have perfect reliability in my shop and beyond.

Those factors, along with neighbors who keep an eye on me, make me feel fairly safe regardless of what I'm doing.

:thumb:
 
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There is no sure safe method of accident insurance or response from anyone working with heavy machinery by themselves except themselves.
Take all necessary precautions, have a plan, set up like Bill Arnold, make check in times with people, have people check in on you, but if you really do some damage to yourself, its most important not to flip out. A minute or two can make a world of difference, and knowing exactly what to do in god forbid an accident takes place is very important.


How many people can say they have a full emergency/medical box in their shop always updated and maintained?
Simple thing, 25 dollar piece of equipment, needs to be gone through once a year, but I bet alot of people dont have one.(I personally at this moment do not, only because I gave it to my kid to keep in school and since I work 10 feet from my door, have a pantry closet filled with bandages, peroxide, tapes, etc...but it is stupid not to have one 3 feet from me)
 
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