Category: Life Lessons

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Welding Safety – Fire from the gas tank

Welding Safety – Fire from the gas tank

My dad told me about a time when he was repairing a shock mount on his Chrysler. He used the company boom truck to lift the rear of the car to a comfortable working height.

After the completed the welding job he flipped the stinger back and accidentally contacted the gas tank on the car. He was quickly surrounded by flames dripping from the tank. The little hole in the tank continued to fuel the fire.

He simply reached his gloved hand up and stopped the flow of fuel with his finger. The flame went out but he was then stuck like the proverbial little Dutch boy with his finger blocking the flow.

Soon my Grandfather walked by and asked “What are you gong to do now boy?” Dad suggested that he would continue to hold his finger in place while someone got him a roofing screw with a rubber washer.

My grandfather soon returned with a screw, washer and a wrench. Dad plugged the hole with a screw and the rubber washer made a liquid tight seal. He says that plug was still in place when he sold the cars years later.

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Cairo, Il Flood and the Birds Point Levee blast

Cairo, Il Flood and the Birds Point Levee blast

One my way to and from Missouri this winter I passed through Cairo, IL. I found it an interesting little town. Actually, it seemed more of a ghost town.

There are huge ornate buildings that look as if the city was once prosperous and thriving. The fact that is sits at the intersection of two major US rivers, the Ohio and the Mississippi.

I did a bit of research and found that the town was expected to surpass Chicago in size and importance. It once had as many as 30,000 citizens and now has less than 2,000.

Normally on my route to Missouri, I only pass near Cairo and not through it. However on my most recent trip the bridge across the Mississippi River was closed. I found it interesting that there were no early warning signs, Just barricades at the entrance to the bridge. The UPS truck in front of me was caught off guard as well. We both used the abandoned state park to turn around and search our maps for alternate routes.

The flood wall in Cairo has a huge gate over highway 3. I found it a bit creepy to drive through with the kudzu vines hanging down over the road and the huge gate looming overhead.

I had not thought much about Cairo until I saw on the news that thousands of acres of Missouri farmland were to be flooded to save Cairo. At first, I was like many who wondered if Cairo was worth saving. However there are some very interesting looking historic buildings there. But as I thought more and looked at the map, the levee at Cairo not only protects the little ghost town but many small towns and communities in the area.

Also, I learned that the Birds Point Levee was designed as a fuse in the flood protections system. There is a second levee one mile behind it that protects the actually populated area. The area between the levees is the New Madrid flood way. It is designed to carry excess water during times of epic floods like his one. The Birds Point levee was built with holes in it so that it could be easily blown up to open the flood gate.

The fact that farmers have been allowed to use the area during times of no flood has made it seem inconvenient to blow the levee. However, that was the design all along. The farmers knew the risk and most have put only portable and easily movable supplies there. However since it has been a very long time since the floodway was used, some have become complacent.

The Corps of Engineers has decided that blowing the Birds Point Levee was the best way to protect not just Cairo, but the entire levee flood control system. Nature is a powerful force when it goes to reclaim its own from our developments. I think we tend to forget that between the so called natural disasters.

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Tornado Safety

Finding the safest place during a Tornado

As the storm moved into our area of Cleveland Tn and Bradley county, there was a lot of talk about tornado safety and the safest places to hide during a tornado. The weather men warned to stay away from windows and exterior walls. They warned to stay out of cars and to seek shelter in underground areas and interior rooms like the bath room.

As I drove through the devastated areas to reach the house where I was helping clean up, I was amazed at the destructive power of the tornado. I have come to the conclusion that short of an underground storm shelter, there is no safe place to be when a tornado strikes.

I have often disagreed with the advice of not sheltering in a car. After all, cars are designed for high speed impacts. However, after seeing Bill Maxwell’s Lincoln, I have changed my mind. He told me that just a few minutes before the storm hit he had been sitting in his car listening to the weather reports. He lost reception so he had just made it to his bedroom when the tornado stuck his house.

His Lincoln Town Car, is now a ball of metal sitting in his pasture about a quarter of a mile from his house. The roof is crushed down to the level of the seat. I don’t think even a belted in occupant would have survived the tumbling and crushing of the car.

I still think my race car with a full cage might have fared better, but a normal car is definitely not a safe place. The repeated pounding of the tumbling action completely crushed the passenger compartment of the car.

Another part of a house that seems safe is the fireplace. After all the brick structure is often seen standing long after the rest of a house has rotted away. However, at Bill’s house, the fireplace was cleaned to the concrete base by the winds and parts of the brick chimney were strewn all through the pasture.

Yet another place that people often find shelter in a storm in inside a bathtub. While there have been numerous reports of people riding out the storm in their bathtubs, Bill’s bath tub was found a couple of hundred yards away from his house. I don’t think that would have been a safe ride either.

Bill was in his bedroom when the storm ripped his house apart around him. The four walls of the bedroom were the only thing left standing at his house. He told me he climbed out form where the exterior wall had separated form the foundation. He was greeted there by his dog.

He said he did not know where the dog was during the storm, but he had somehow found a safe place. Based on what I saw while cleaning up the damage at Bill’s house, the only safe place to be is where you are. Apparently if you are protected from damage, you will be safe where ever you are. I think it was Bill’s attitude that protected him more than any of the building parts.

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Tornadoes in Cleveland, Tn

Young Road
Last night possibly as many as five tornadoes passed through my home of Cleveland Tn in Bradley county. The power went out before eight pm but came back on some time in the night. I live in the southeast corner of the county. It appears the worst of the storms went north and west of me.

My parents who live north of me were without power until later this morning. Cell phones worked some but not reliably. My Verizon Mifi was always able to get a connection however.

Neither of our homes received any damage. However, just a few miles up Spring Place road, there was a lot of damage. An abandoned restaurant and a hair salon were destroyed. One end of the strip mall across the street was hit as well.

I have been listening to the emergency services radio part of the day and it sounds like there is damage all around the county. So far nine have been confirmed dead including one body found hanging form a power line.

I am thankful that a bubble of protection was placed around me, my family and friends. My dog did a good job of guarding the under side of the futon in the back room last night as well.

I am looking forward to seeing our community work together to recover quickly from the damage.

For lessens I learned helping with the clean up see the next post: Tornado Safety

Bar on Spring Place road
Hair Place on Spring Place
House of BBQ
Traffic backed up on Spring Place due to other routes being closed.

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Machine Tool Safety

As I look at the scar on my left index finger, I am reminded of how fast a machine tool can cause an injury. I was a teenager working in my grandfather’s machine shop when it happened. I was using the large drill press to counter bore holes in the cutting edge of a bulldozer blade.

The drill press was very old and was definitely not built with safe operation in mind. I am not sure why, but the procedure involved sliding the heavy plate into position under the drill bit while the bit was still turning slowly in the chuck. I was wearing gloves to protect my tender hands from the sharp edge of the blade. The bit caught my glove, and although it was turning slowly, it began to wrap my finger around the bit all too quickly.

I was able to hit the power switch but the drill continued to coast until my whole arm was wrapped around the spindle. I reluctantly called to my grandfather for assistance. He manually turned the drill backwards as I unwrapped myself from the machine.

I was very lucky to have escaped with just a cut on my finger. I quick bandage and I was back to work; this time without gloves.

Machine tools can be very unforgiving when body parts are caught on or in them. The nature of the work also brings hands and fingers dangerously close to the rotating parts. It is easy to get accustomed to the proximity and get caught.

Gloves and loose clothing can easily get caught. Neckties should not even get close to the machines.

Procedures need to be developed to minimize exposure to the hazards. Making sure the rotating parts have stopped before relocating the work or taking measurements is one good place to start. I have seen many experienced machinist take caliper readings while parts are being cut in a lathe. Such practices endanger the worker and the equipment.

Guards are often a huge annoyance to machinists. However, if the guards are constructed of clear materials and made to easily open and close, they can add safety without interfering with the work to be done.

When developing procedures and procuring safety equipment, it is important to work closely with the machinists to make sure that the safety equipment does not interfere with the work. Otherwise, the safeties will be bypassed and procedures overlooked when supervision is not around.

Machine tools are a part of most modern workplaces. They can be used safely and effectively if proper precautions are taken.