Men In Sheds

[Spectric]

Too many videos on youtube are from America where there is rarely a guard or riving knife to be seen.

It is just cultural, if you live in a society where people carry guns then safety takes on a different meaning. Look at them alaskans using un braked chainsaws in a boat cutting logs floating in a river, the sort of thing that would give H&S people wet under wear!

 

[Sideways]

I visited the shed again with more tool donations a while back, while i was there an old boy was using a table saw, no crown guard or riving knife & the bit of wood kept riding up, how he never had a kickback i dont know. I had a word with the guy that runs the shed & he had not realised, he is well meaning but was over ridden by two old guys from industry who "Are qualified wood machinists & they say we dont need those bits as they get in the way etc etc", so they had removed all the guarding. I pointed out to my friend that when someone chops off his fingers he as organiser & the committee are liable as they allowed it to happen.
I think it sunk in, & sincerely hope nobody has been hurt.

This is absolutely the problem with sheds.
A few folk actually need to lose their fingers and a few committees need to be sued for the word to get around, but "That'll never happen here" is a common misconception. No one who really understands the risks will ever volunteer to be part of a MIS committee because they know the liability they are opening themselves up to and equally how hard it is to herd cats

 

[Keith 66]

^^^^ Sideways hits the nail on the head, It is the primary reason i havent joined up.
Dont get me wrong I spent most of my working life as a self employed mostly skint boatbuilder, H&S was more a matter of self preservation & most of my machinery should have been in a museum. Later i worked in education where the attitudes towards H& S are positively anal! But the consequences if a kid gets hurt are very very real. So we took it seriously, It would appear that the shedders are a bit behind the times in this respect, When enthusiasm & ignorance trumps H&S thats when preventable accidents will happen.
The comment re "Herding cats" is especially pertinent as there are always going to be those who know best no matter what the organisers say!

 

[Jameshow]

The problem I have found (I run 2 sheds) is it's not those who know nowt who are the real problem. It's those who do know but should know better who put themselves at risk and others.

Our policy is to be risk averse. Why use a power tool when a hand tool will suffice?

The journey is the joinery so to speak so if it's not quite square so be it.

To see clients from the mental health inpatient wards coming and benefiting is priceless...

 

[TRITON]

Why use a power tool when a hand tool will suffice?

Is there no leeway on that ?. If you dont comply, off to the railway sidings to be shot.

 

[Jameshow]

Is there no leeway on that ?. If you dont comply, off to the railway sidings to be shot.

No not at all, it's just an ethos...,