Hideous Injury from being a Mechanic..?
Discussion
Decky_Q said:
I know guys that are into their banger racing and I saw them do a suspension and engine swap in a serria once and the level of safety was atrocious. For the suspension they undid the nut untill it was on the last line of thread and then started throwing it across the yard waiting for it to undo and rocket off, Plastic milk crates with cracks in them as axle stands etc. Still they got both jobs done in a day which I found impressive!
Banger racing is a H and S free zone, honestly it has never, ever entered into it as far as I can see, we go to High Edge in Buxton and walkign round the pits is pretty fraught as you get massive hill people in docker boots and racing overallys blasting throught the pits in whats left of a Primera, you really have to watch it, at Belle Vue in Manchester, last time we went, saw some guys working on a car hanging from a Hiab, fuel everywhere, fags in mouth, saw a stock car come throught he pits, driver blipped it and a kid of abotu six scuttled across, missed by inches. Though the food is probably the most dangerous thing there, or at High Edge the biting, unrelenting cold, doesnt stop girls turning up in Mini Skirts though. Still, wouldnt have it any other way, its nice that soemthing hasnt been banned by the EU or watered down so its not the same, feels the same as when I went as a kid int he Seventies, even still has the odd blast of Emerson Lake and Palmer.I think Banger Racing is pretty dangerous, there does seem to be an awful lot of "Memorial Cup" races.
Sat cross legged on the floor, using a grider on my cars sill. It snags, and throws itself into my inner thigh! Ive never thrown something off me so fast, luckily it was a grinding disc and not a cutting disc otherwise it would have been a lot deeper! This time it was just a wedge cut just through the skin, not even that much blood.
The closest I've come to a serious injury while servicing my bike was to clean and oil the chain with the bike on a stand. Turn the engine on, knock it into gear and hand round the chain with a rag. It doesn't take much to snag the rag and pull your hand in.
Blow torches and seized ball joints results in explosive consequences.
Blow torches and seized ball joints results in explosive consequences.
cerbfan said:
Superhoop said:
Globs said:
Divers air bottles - now those you never want to let go - 200-300bar as I recall!
Is that all? Common rail diesels run up to 2000 Bar and no, that's not a typoHaving worked around cars for that last 20 odd years, I've seen a few horrors.. Lost finger tips in belts, cars rolloing backwards on four post ramps, underbonnet fires etc
And then there was me - Rebuilding a gearbox aged 21, too cool to wear goggles when using a chisel to lock up a lock nut, fragment of metal in the eye, 8 weeks off work following a lense replacement and cataract removal
Diving bottles are fairly safe and have to be tested. We seem to like manly steel bottles in the UK, but elsewhere they are fond of ally bottles especially in the States.
Very rare to hear of a steel bottle going pop, but the aluminum ones do go. Look on google.
http://www.divernet.com/home_diving_news/1051895/c...
Superhoop said:
Globs said:
Divers air bottles - now those you never want to let go - 200-300bar as I recall!
Is that all? Common rail diesels run up to 2000 Bar and no, that's not a typoHaving worked around cars for that last 20 odd years, I've seen a few horrors.. Lost finger tips in belts, cars rolloing backwards on four post ramps, underbonnet fires etc
And then there was me - Rebuilding a gearbox aged 21, too cool to wear goggles when using a chisel to lock up a lock nut, fragment of metal in the eye, 8 weeks off work following a lense replacement and cataract removal
Only the other day I was building a Hydrogen rig that had a working pressure of 11 kilobar, or 11,000 bar. If that popped you would know about it
Worst injury I've had from working on a car though, had some grit fall in my eye, I rubbed it and it scratched everthing. Its still a bit sore 4 days on. (ok,ok I know its tame!)
Rollcage said:
You don't f
k around with compressed air, ever!
Quite k around with compressed air, ever!http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/25/new-ze...
Working on some lmp2 car with air jacks. mechanic put the car in the air and puts safety's under them and let's the air out so they are now sitting on the safety's. Comes the next day put wheels back on and goes to lower the car, nothing's happens. Ah he thinks the "safety's" gets underneath and yanks the rear one out. I come round the corner to find the car in the air sitting on him. Not saying anything incase the boss finds out
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-jDK6HGLNRQ air jacks
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-jDK6HGLNRQ air jacks
172ff said:
cerbfan said:
Superhoop said:
Globs said:
Divers air bottles - now those you never want to let go - 200-300bar as I recall!
Is that all? Common rail diesels run up to 2000 Bar and no, that's not a typoHaving worked around cars for that last 20 odd years, I've seen a few horrors.. Lost finger tips in belts, cars rolloing backwards on four post ramps, underbonnet fires etc
And then there was me - Rebuilding a gearbox aged 21, too cool to wear goggles when using a chisel to lock up a lock nut, fragment of metal in the eye, 8 weeks off work following a lense replacement and cataract removal
Diving bottles are fairly safe and have to be tested. We seem to like manly steel bottles in the UK, but elsewhere they are fond of ally bottles especially in the States.
Very rare to hear of a steel bottle going pop, but the aluminum ones do go. Look on google.
http://www.divernet.com/home_diving_news/1051895/c...
article said:
An American has been killed by a diving cylinder which exploded as he carried it out of his Florida apartment.
The explosion occurred just before 7am yesterday as the diver walked to the front door of the ground-floor apartment in St Petersburg, intending to load the cylinder into his car ready to go diving with friends.
The force of the blast was enough to blow out the door and living room windows, and the windows of nearby cars. Assorted debris was hurled some 30m from the building.
Those diver gas bottle are scary!The explosion occurred just before 7am yesterday as the diver walked to the front door of the ground-floor apartment in St Petersburg, intending to load the cylinder into his car ready to go diving with friends.
The force of the blast was enough to blow out the door and living room windows, and the windows of nearby cars. Assorted debris was hurled some 30m from the building.
I stopped a nasty accident a few years ago at the Western Beach Race (Enduro). At the end of the race some competitors wanted to push their bikes over the finish line so they could complete, it's a 3hr race and notoriously hard on bikes. Well me and some friends were running a recovery truck, we had picked up a young lad who wanted to push the last 100yds. My mate was holding the bike up with the front wheel between his legs as the guy tried to start it, he muttered that was overheating then for reasons known only to him he reached down and undid the radiator cap. As my mate literally had his face over the cap i instinctively pushed him out of the way. Needed to say there was jet of scolding coolant that came out of the radiator....burnt the rider quite badly, I am so glad it was not my mates face!
Not a mechanic, though was working in my garage. I needed to decant some petrol from a jerry can into a gallon container. Opened the jerry can and started to pour the petrol into the container. All of a sudden a mighty whoosh, petrol vapour caught alight. Managed to shut the jerry can and lob outside.
A battery was charging on the workbench, never thought about it, apparently it must have arced and that ignited the petrol vapour.
I ended up with smoke inhalation affecting the lungs, 35% full thickness burns spending 6 months in hospital.
Hence the nickname "Frankenstein", at first I was called "Guy Fawkes" though family thought that a bit sick.
A battery was charging on the workbench, never thought about it, apparently it must have arced and that ignited the petrol vapour.
I ended up with smoke inhalation affecting the lungs, 35% full thickness burns spending 6 months in hospital.
Hence the nickname "Frankenstein", at first I was called "Guy Fawkes" though family thought that a bit sick.
I think (relative) old age either makes you overly complacent or overly cautious.
Last week, when removing the axle from a Sunbeam I was unhappy with the amount of leverage I was putting into the 3/4" bolts holding the axle links in whilst the car was up on 4 good quality stands. Decided to put all the front suspension back in so as the front end could go back on the floor. Then put all 4 stands under the rear end and some wheels under the sills for good measure.
. Still rocked about a bit, bolts hadn't been out for a while.
Last week, when removing the axle from a Sunbeam I was unhappy with the amount of leverage I was putting into the 3/4" bolts holding the axle links in whilst the car was up on 4 good quality stands. Decided to put all the front suspension back in so as the front end could go back on the floor. Then put all 4 stands under the rear end and some wheels under the sills for good measure.
. Still rocked about a bit, bolts hadn't been out for a while.
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