I have worked in all kinds of shops since high school - auto shops, personal garages, manufacturing plants and the like, sometimes with equipment that could maim or kill you. It would kinda hurt to drop a 20 ton girder on your head, hard hat or no hard hat. I always try to be aware of my surroundings and what is going on around me (I do like having fingers), but I did learn that all it takes is a split second.
I had just finished final welding this particular item, and it looked pretty good if I do say so myself. I thought maybe just a few swipes with the buffer would make it really shine. I had all of my PPE equipment on, hood, jacket, gloves, and boots, so I thought smugly that I was being pretty responsible in the safety corner of things. I reached for the air hose to plug up the buffer - something I had done a thousand times before - but I didn't actually LOOK in that direction. I gave the air hose a yank to pull it down, and as I did turn my head, I noticed this shiny gold object coming at me and thought,
"Gee... I wonder what that is?
The next thing I know is that there was this loud THUNK. My first thought was
"Umm... what just happened?"
Then I realized that the cool looking shiny thing that was coming toward me was the brass coupling on the end of the air hose. It had hit me right in the forehead directly between the eyes. Somehow that damn thing had found the little space between my hood and safety glasses and decided it would teach me a lesson right on that spot. My next thought as I looked around was,
"Did anyone see that?"
I would never hear the end of it if they did. Nope - everyone was head down, hood on, working - I was safe from ridicule. I picked up the buffer to go back to work, but then I thought,
"Gee... I really am sweating on the forehead. Someone must have turned up the heat."
I wiped the sweat away with back of my glove. Umm.... the last time I looked sweat was not red. Well damn. Time to go to the first aid station and let the safety manager know what happened. It turns out that instead of the hose being properly stored away after the last person that used it, they just tossed it over some pipes that ran along the wall. When I pulled it, the end whipped around and smacked me right in the forehead. It opened up about a one inch cut just above and directly between my eyes. It could easily have been worse if it had hit me in the nose or jaw. I do like eating (especially with teeth). It just goes to show that no matter how many times you do a particular task, or how safe you think you are, all it takes is one moment of inattention to get hurt. Apparently the line leads had a REALLY good laugh discussing the event at the next safety meeting, judging by the snickers and smirks the threw my way every time one of them passed by. My good friends on the line never missed an opportunity to remind me of that incident - even to the point of threatening me with the end of the air hose and giggling like little girls the whole time.
No respect. No respect at all....
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