GARAGE SAFETY TIPS AND HORROR STORIES

[Hammerlane]

Yep, watched a guy at our motorpool launch himself into the rafters airing up a split rim.

[OHEARN.2012]

welp learned the hard way today.

while lighting a torch i was using a lighter instead on striker and i had my pointer finger extended out across the path of the gas and when i lit it.  it moved faster then me and burnt my finger but nuin serious.

just saying always keep your fingers tucked in so u dont get burned 

[ProGrade]

had a truck fall off ramps when I was under it once.  I was 17.  haven't used ramps since.  the axle bruised my sternum.  Lets just say i'm glad i had oversized tires on it, and wasn't under the pig.

[old school truck dude]

welp learned the hard way today.

while lighting a torch i was using a lighter instead on striker and i had my pointer finger extended out across the path of the gas and when i lit it.  it moved faster then me and burnt my finger but nuin serious.

just saying always keep your fingers tucked in so u dont get burned 

Not a good idea to use a lighter, you can blow your fingers off

[OHEARN.2012]

all i have dad just used it for plumbing i dont have a set of torches so i have no striker it could be a good investment

[Fraser]

A few years ago I was using a 4" grinder w/ wire wheel on it.  Of course I had safety glasses on, a wire came off the wheel and went up my nose!  Wow! Had to go to ER to get it removed.. ALWAYS wear a face shield when using wire wheel! I learned the hard way!

really your supposed to wear one whenever cutting, grinding, etc. one of the best 14 bucks ive ever spent

[old school truck dude]

all i have dad just used it for plumbing i dont have a set of torches so i have no striker it could be a good investment

Use your rod and strike an arc. That gets the flame away from your hand.

[ProGrade]

all i have dad just used it for plumbing i dont have a set of torches so i have no striker it could be a good investment

Use your rod and strike an arc. That gets the flame away from your hand.

if all you have is a lighter, light a piece of wood or something that is about 6" long to keep your hand out.

also if you are a smoker, don't keep your lighter in your pocket when you weld.  guess what happens if a piece of slag hits it...

['the DON']

i did that too

Note to self, When using the tig welder , do not hang the torch over one leg. the tungsten hurts when it burns your leg( the torch sliped and got me in the lower leg, it took 2 months to heal)

[OHEARN.2012]

welp got some torches and i got a striker im good now 

[frankies_son]

 one day my dad was cutting under a car of course with the torches i went out to pass him the phone and when i said "hey pops" he turned toward me the torch melted the skin on my arm lmao the heat was so hot it melted the skin and never hurt because it melted the nerve endings!

[old school truck dude]

I know that was hot for sure! We have to really pay attention to which way the torch is pointed, if you pass by the bottles with the flame you can heat the tank enough to rupture it and go boom. Be sure to have flame arrestors at the regulators in case you burn the hose! If theres gas in the shop, get it out and ventilate the shop real good before you start, the cherries fly around everywhere and it only takes ONE to start a roaring fire.

[FTW]

Explosive vapors will seek a low spot and hang there until an ignition source comes along, back in the day we used to heat the shop with propane 1000 gallon tank out back with a gas line run into the building, seems where the line entered the building had some galvanized 3/4 pipe and fittings to make the transition through the wall, had sprung a slow leak at the 90' into the building.

There was a pit under the baler behind the shop 8' long 3' wide 8' deep, block wall cement floor. Propane is heavier than air and filled the pit, Mike was hot rodding some crane counter weight's in half 45' behind the shop and a spark landed in he pit and the baler was history, the explosion knocked the baler half over and shot random parts of it all over the yard, the boss was proud that day.

Few years later had a C60 up on a two post lift with the mechanical fuel pump out, fuel line just hanging there, well the rear hoist settled during the night leaning the truck forward quite a bit, this was normal no worries right? well gas had leaked into the hoist pit all night filling it with fumes, next morning fired up the torch 2 bays over and leveled the wall next to the 2 post lift, luckily no one was working on the C60 at the time they would have been history.

[shortbed78k10]

i remember i was trying break loss rusty lug nuts with breaker bar and long pipe while i was jumping on it. i slipped and smoked my head on the truck..DONT JUMP ON BREAKER BARS

[Yetti]

well I know most folks don't own hoists but for gods sake use the proper lift points. I have seen people set pads that have 20 years the business that scare the hell out of me. we share hoists at work where one person has to set it for someone else. one day we heard a loud crash while on break. a photographer went to move a truck up and the hoist was wrong. it kicked out the pads and it rolled right off onto the floor. lucky for him he was out of the way as it landed right on the controls.

[old school truck dude]

Yup, seen a guy put a van through a wall because it slipped off, gotta get it by the frame not body parts

[stonyv]

Incident #1: I once had this dirtbike. It loved to flood when left sitting. I pulled out the sparkplug and proceeded to roll it over while sitting in the middle of my parents pole barn (metal and mostly empty thank god). Gas sprayed all over my bike and my jeans. Being that it was a push button killswitch and I "wasn't" pushing it, it didn't take very long to ignite the bike, my jeans,.....and the open 5 gal gas can next to the bike! I was able to put myself out by using the stop-drop-n-roll method (screaming and flailing around on the ground),but the bike was a total loss even after the help of 4 extinguishers. The barn survived with minor wounds.

Incident #2 While working on yet another bike (in the same barn) i had rebuilt the carburator and accidentally put the throttle slide in backwards holding the throttle wide open. I kicked on it about a million times wondering "whys it startin so hard" like a before it finally fired at like 20grand! At this catastrofic engine speed the kill switch didnt work. I figured slamming it into 4th and dumpin the clutch was sure to stall it out, right? Not a chance! Looked like i was in a damn burnout contest until it hooked up sendin the bike and 110lb me hurtilin tward the door that was only open about as wide as the handlebars. Handlebars barely made it and I bailed sendin the bike flyin into the back 40 before it spunn in circles and destroyed itself.

There are many lessons here but the biggest one would be to please START IT OUTSIDE! You never know whats going to happen.

[Newbie]

Stonyv you shouldnt own dirt bikes or anything with motors lol
fire scares the crap out of me! im glad you were able to get the fire out on your cloths!!!!

[randycrane79]

i had a incident not to long ago involving a gas can my welder and a set of hot balls i was welding a plate on my bench and forgot about the half full gas can under my bench i herd a loud swoooosh sound lifted my helmet and didnt see anything so went back to welding all the sudden i started to get warm lifted helmet agin and seen my boots and shorts were on fire yes (SHORTS ) welding lol and tried to put it out in the middle of trying to put it out i kicked the gas can and and made more of a mess and then tried to run out of garage because i ended up putting gas on my argon tank and cought that on fire  and tripped over my hose my wife took off running away from house cuz its almost attached less than a foot away i was yeeling at her to get me the hose and she finaly got it and in the mits of her hooking it up i grabed the other end and went into my garage with it and jerked it and pulled it out of her hands then she finaly got it hooked up and put my self out then tried to put out the fire with it  but had hard time since gas and water just spread i waas flipping bye that point cuz i got my argon tank full inthere plus my torch tanks full and 4 ropane tanks full and all chemicals but i stayed with it and finaly went out ..........needless to say it was a fun time since i just had a heart attack not to long ago blood was just a pumping .......but anyways im fine garage is ok and only lost a airhose and gas can with 5 gallons of gas ....never weld near a gas can and never weld in shorts cuz the flames on ya legs go up the shorts for a fried hotdog anf nutsssss........

[gator82]

Incident (1) A couple years ago, I was doing brakes on my at the time 96 deville, all I had was the factory scissor jack. I lifted the car got the wheel of and had just got on my knees when it folded the jack, lucky for me I was working on the passenger side and the car fell towards the driver side, I will never ever use a scissor jack again.

Incident (2) Never fart with your coveralls zipped up, It will stay in there and slowly release the stench straight upward to the nostrils.