Date:         Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:56:04 -0700
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Sad story
Comments: To: John Rodgers <inua@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I was almost going to mention 'this' ring factor.
my father tells about a guy  who jumped down through an aircraft bombay  door ..
snagged his ring finger on a nub sticking out ..
man that must have been awful.

in 'safety stuff' ..
the only way it really always works is hard rules..
like you never drive without putting on the seatbelt.
You retire climbing ropes after 5 falls on them ..
etc.
the rule on jewelry is ......you just *never* wear *any* jewelry working on anything, or around anything that you are working on. 

loose clothes and long hair fall under the same thing. 

safety rules work when the are absolute ..
because the worst things will getcha 'that one time' you don't adhere to the safety rule. 

and I don't like 'dumb rules' either , at all. 
I like 'intelligent thoughful' ways of going about things..
but for some safety things ..if you always do it the right way all the time, every time..
then it works, otherwise it doesn't really.....particularly 'that one time.'

I am very down on drive-up ramps to get under cars.
My father ..a hyper careful perfectionist pilot ....like 'too perfect' about everything he does ..
managed to turn a driveshaft on his 58 Mercedes 220S while he was under it ..
by tightening the bolts on the driveshaft ..so it drove right off the ramps onto him.

we tend to think if the trans is in Neutral, the car can't go anywhere..
but on a front engine rear drive car, there is no neutral in the rear differential..
you can drive the car turning the driveshaft with wrenches ..
and fundamentally ..
turning anything connected to the wheels is dangerous, unless the wheels are hanging freely in the air.
  he yelled for a couple hours with a creeper smashed flat under him ..  He and a smashed creeper were jammed into about a 6 inch vertical space. 

He finally started passing out.  I was supposed to go out to the garage to remind him it was time to go to work at 3PM.   I had a radio on in the basement 30 feet away ..didn't hear a thing.
 fortunately, I went out there at 3PM like I was supposed to ......and rescued him.  Damn  lucky I didn't just space out going out there at the right time.    That was close. 

gotta think about what we're doing every second, particularity working on cars. 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John Rodgers 
  To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans 
  Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
  Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 11:58 AM
  Subject: Re: Sad story


  Ya got that right!

  Co-worker working up on the wing of an airliner, slipped, fell, snagged the ring on his ring finger on a screw head improperly secured as he went over and to the ground. He is usable to wear anything on that finger any more. The finger is not there. Grim real life story, but serves the point. Lots of digits removed by machinery. Can't be careful enough when working around machinery and/or in a shop.

  John

John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
  On 4/14/2011 1:26 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote: 
    not only hands and fingers.. 
    long hair is extremely dangerous around any moving equipment. 
    and so is any jewelry of any kind........and not just for getting caught in 
    things.. 
    but for electrical shorting out, like a wedding ring and battery cables etc. 

    I hate to think about the person maybe leaning in to get a closer look at a 
    spinning part on a lathe and long hair getting caught. 
    as this case shows....stuff like that can just kill ya... 
    or change your whole life in a second. There is just 'zero margin' when it 
    comes to body parts and moving or  electrically energized equipment. 



    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: "Jeff Lincoln" <magikvw@GMAIL.COM> 
    To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> 
    Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 10:26 AM 
    Subject: Re: Sad story 



      Even when I know I have checked and am being careful when I am looming 
      above 
      the runnign engine I am a bit leary of being there. THe thought of missing 
      something that could get caught in the turning belt - or just 
      inadvertantly 
      placing a hand or a tool in the wrong place is a scary thought - I like my 
      hands and fingers. 

      Thanks for the reminder. 


      -- 
      Thanks, 

      Jeff 
      '85 GL (Gertie) 
      '90 Carat (Grover - the noble parts donor) 
      '78 Bus (Melissa) Patty's Bus