Hideous Injury from being a Mechanic..?
Discussion
just me said:
Have heard of several people going blind because of tyres exploding in their faces, but I didn't realize enough energy could be released to take a leg off. Scary.
I hate fitting tyres, and despite having done hundreds, still wince and jump when the finally ping onto the bead.doogz said:
I'd go one further than that and say not just protection, but goggles. I was grinding at the weekend with safety glasses on and still managed to get a bit in my eye. My own stupid fault, and fortunately i was fine.
I was doing some metal drilling in my garage one weekend a couple of years ago.Afterwards I had an irritated eye for a couple of days, it would 'scratch' if I looked in a particular way.
Eventually I found a very small sliver of metal actually sticking up out of the pupil itself. I had to use a small pair of tweezers to pull it out. It was the way the eyeball surface 'pinged' as it came free that seemed the strangest thing.
Always make sure to squint a bit harder now when I'm doing stuff like that.
Globs said:
Divers air bottles - now those you never want to let go - 200-300bar as I recall!
Correct. Most are 200, 232 or 300bar. The bottles are tested every 2 years visually and full hydro test is carried out every 5 years. I may let other bit of my gear lapse in their service schudules, but not with cylinders! There is a video of someone chopping the end of one and it was enough to launch the bottle a 100 ft or so and put a big dent in the quarry wall.
CampDavid said:
The new BMW 550d has 2200BAR injectors
f
k working on that, or any other diesel engine.
That said, I work in IT and have nearly lost an eye from a poorly fitted sever cage, pulled muscles moving kit and electricuted myself, mildly, once or twice
I'm starting a job next week working on pumps that run at 150,000psi (103421ish bar) f
k working on that, or any other diesel engine.That said, I work in IT and have nearly lost an eye from a poorly fitted sever cage, pulled muscles moving kit and electricuted myself, mildly, once or twice
CampDavid said:
The new BMW 550d has 2200BAR injectors
fk working on that, or any other diesel engine.
The only issue with common rail injectors like that is the ability for them to inject diesel straight through your skin.f
k working on that, or any other diesel engine.Heavy rubber gloves would be the way to go there, + goggles.
What gives air the explosive force is the trapped energy, which equates to Pressure x Volume.
So a 100psi skip lorry tyre could kill you but even though it's small a diving bottle could break you into many parts.
Jimmy No Hands said:
I work in the steel industry, there has been some nasty incidents. I remember when I first had a tour of the plant, all the way around I was saying to myself "That could kill me, THAT's going to kill me."
I'm still alive so far but you have to constantly be on your toes.
I worked in a large coal fired power station during the summer holidays when I was a student. That had many ways to die horribly. The nastiest had to be locating a steam leak from a boiler tube.I'm still alive so far but you have to constantly be on your toes.
If the leak was inside the furnace you could often tell by looking into an inspection port - the leaky tube showed up a darker colour than the others due to the escaping steam.
Not so easy if the leak was blowing outside the boiler casing. You knew there was a leak due to the noise, but superheated steam at 1800psi and 800 degrees Farenheit is invisible so you can't see it..........but if you walked into it you'd be killed instantly
So what we had to do was tie a rag to a long bamboo pole and very cautiously pass it backwards and forwards across the approximate area of the leak. When the rag abruptly disappeared, you had your leak.
Or there was the daily climb half way up the chimneys to test the flue gas sulphur dioxide content. That was 150 feet up a vertical ladder
This was long before 'elf & Safety become more important!
Edited by matchmaker on Thursday 22 March 19:26
CampDavid said:
The new BMW 550d has 2200BAR injectors
fk working on that, or any other diesel engine.
That said, I work in IT and have nearly lost an eye from a poorly fitted sever cage, pulled muscles moving kit and electricuted myself, mildly, once or twice
2200 bar - like in 30000psi? Bloody Norah!f
k working on that, or any other diesel engine.That said, I work in IT and have nearly lost an eye from a poorly fitted sever cage, pulled muscles moving kit and electricuted myself, mildly, once or twice
If we are on dangerous jobs, check this out, I find it difficult to watch !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A_h2AjJaMw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A_h2AjJaMw
Years ago one of the regulars in my then local started showing off a hideous scare that ran across his chest. While working in a garage he went up to another mechanic who was working on a car and tapped him on the shoulder. Without thinking, the mechanic turned to see what matey boy wanted. Problem was he had been using a gas welding torch, as he turned, he burnt matey across the chest with said torch.
spaximus said:
The very worst work accident I knew of was years ago at Booths scrap yard in Rotherham. A guy was burning up old oxygen and acetelyn bottles in the yard. His mistake was to see one left and started to burn that one as well, unfortunatly it was his own full acetylene bottle which reduced him to bits.
One of the most dangerous things in a garage in the 70's and 80's was the pit. Many people died when they went into them and went to sleep. Carbon monoxide is heaveier than air and collects in the pit. When the mechanic gets in he slowly goes to sleep and if not found dies. Others in a pit got burnt to death when a fuel leak or such got ignited (lamps were good for this) usually blocking their escape route.
Carbon monoxide is less dense than air, therefore, slightly lighter. One of the most dangerous things in a garage in the 70's and 80's was the pit. Many people died when they went into them and went to sleep. Carbon monoxide is heaveier than air and collects in the pit. When the mechanic gets in he slowly goes to sleep and if not found dies. Others in a pit got burnt to death when a fuel leak or such got ignited (lamps were good for this) usually blocking their escape route.
I did heavy demolition work on a site on Bristol - we took down half an office block.
Part of it was taking down a 6ft thick, steel reinforced concrete base section that supported a lot of internal glass. So we used approx 3" diamond drill cutters, "bursters" (stick into the hole cut by the cutters, apply 20 tonnes of pressure, crack the hole open wider), then a combination of kangos, drills and wrecking bars to take away the concrete. We were then left with hundreds of steel reinforcing rods to cut and remove. The result was something my namesake, Vlad the Impaler, would be proud of - steel spikes sticking at 45 degrees from the ground.
One hardened demolition nutter was kangoing away, he slipped and a steel spike went into his arm at the elbow. He then fell forwards ripping his entire forearm open. He went sheet white, puked everywhere then had to be caught before he fell onto more spikes. Luckily the Bristol Royal Infirmary was only 200 yards away and he made a pretty rapid recovery but that image will always be burnt onto my mind.
Thinking back, that was a b***ard dangerous job! I used to shift 8-10 tonnes of concrete a day in wheelbarrows (to a skip) as well as the demolition itself. My appetite was slightly insane and cost me most of my wages!
Part of it was taking down a 6ft thick, steel reinforced concrete base section that supported a lot of internal glass. So we used approx 3" diamond drill cutters, "bursters" (stick into the hole cut by the cutters, apply 20 tonnes of pressure, crack the hole open wider), then a combination of kangos, drills and wrecking bars to take away the concrete. We were then left with hundreds of steel reinforcing rods to cut and remove. The result was something my namesake, Vlad the Impaler, would be proud of - steel spikes sticking at 45 degrees from the ground.
One hardened demolition nutter was kangoing away, he slipped and a steel spike went into his arm at the elbow. He then fell forwards ripping his entire forearm open. He went sheet white, puked everywhere then had to be caught before he fell onto more spikes. Luckily the Bristol Royal Infirmary was only 200 yards away and he made a pretty rapid recovery but that image will always be burnt onto my mind.
Thinking back, that was a b***ard dangerous job! I used to shift 8-10 tonnes of concrete a day in wheelbarrows (to a skip) as well as the demolition itself. My appetite was slightly insane and cost me most of my wages!
My grandfather worked on the construction of Hinkley Point nuclear power station. By all accounts quite a few people died building it, but one that he told us about was one of his friends who fell from a height into a pit filled with steel reinforcing bar. One of these entered through his rear end and came out the top of his head....
My parents knew someone who as a toddler went right through a small baler abd emerged the other side with only minor injuries! If you've ever seen one of these wworking you'll realise how miraculous that is.
And someone who was working on a tipper trailer when the hydraulics failed and crushed his head between the bed and the tipper...
I remember a contractor was killed in a large baler on a nearby farm.
One thing they drummed into me was never, ever, trust hydraulics, if a pipe or joint fails, whatever is up in the air will come down instantly (see tipper trailer above) so always walk _around_ tractors that have the forks in the air, something I still do now even at agricultural shows where I can see safety bars are fitted, its just good practice that I intend to drum into my daughter.
As for my own bad practice.....Aged 19 I changed the suspension on my 480 with the car up on concrete blocks.. worse because I didn't have enough they were edge on!
Or the time my mate and I made "spring compressors" out of 10mm threaded bar and bent 5mm wall tie.
Shudder when I think of it now.
My parents knew someone who as a toddler went right through a small baler abd emerged the other side with only minor injuries! If you've ever seen one of these wworking you'll realise how miraculous that is.
And someone who was working on a tipper trailer when the hydraulics failed and crushed his head between the bed and the tipper...
I remember a contractor was killed in a large baler on a nearby farm.
One thing they drummed into me was never, ever, trust hydraulics, if a pipe or joint fails, whatever is up in the air will come down instantly (see tipper trailer above) so always walk _around_ tractors that have the forks in the air, something I still do now even at agricultural shows where I can see safety bars are fitted, its just good practice that I intend to drum into my daughter.
As for my own bad practice.....Aged 19 I changed the suspension on my 480 with the car up on concrete blocks.. worse because I didn't have enough they were edge on!
Or the time my mate and I made "spring compressors" out of 10mm threaded bar and bent 5mm wall tie.
Shudder when I think of it now.
Globs said:
CampDavid said:
The new BMW 550d has 2200BAR injectors
fk working on that, or any other diesel engine.
The only issue with common rail injectors like that is the ability for them to inject diesel straight through your skin.f
k working on that, or any other diesel engine.Heavy rubber gloves would be the way to go there, + goggles.
What gives air the explosive force is the trapped energy, which equates to Pressure x Volume.
So a 100psi skip lorry tyre could kill you but even though it's small a diving bottle could break you into many parts.
Petrolhead_Rich said:
CampDavid said:
The new BMW 550d has 2200BAR injectors
fk working on that, or any other diesel engine.
That said, I work in IT and have nearly lost an eye from a poorly fitted sever cage, pulled muscles moving kit and electricuted myself, mildly, once or twice
I'm starting a job next week working on pumps that run at 150,000psi (103421ish bar) f
k working on that, or any other diesel engine.That said, I work in IT and have nearly lost an eye from a poorly fitted sever cage, pulled muscles moving kit and electricuted myself, mildly, once or twice
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