Favorite Garage Safety Tips

[51pontiac]

I thought it might be a good idea to start a fresh thread about some of our favorite safety tips. My dad and shop teacher both stressed safety first and I have passed these on to my kids.

My 2 favorite tips are:
1) If you have a tire off a vehicle, slide it under the frame as it is a lot easier to replace a tire and rim than a foot, arm etc if the vehicle falls. It is also out of the way.

2) Before you ever crawl under a vehicle on ramps or jackstands, shake the he** out of it to make sure it cannot fall. ( and of course - never ever crawl under anything just on a jack)

Looking forward to others tips.

 

[rocketman]

Walk into your garage with your brain engaged and you'll walk out with everything attached to it intact.

 

[Marty256]

When ever working with fuel, keep area well ventilated and make sure you have a fire extinguisher close at hand!

 

[mmg440]

When welding or using a torch. Take a look in the area you are working for flammables before starting and keep the fire extinguisher close at hand.

If you are pulling or pushing a wrench or bar and it passes your mind it might be a knuckle buster. It most likely will get something longer so you don't have to exert as much force or whatever you need to do to keep your skin where it belongs.

Try and keep the back vertical when lifting heavy items (lift with your legs).

Keep some first aid items on hand. Bandages and such in case something bad does happen you can try and patch a leak enough to get help.

 

[goodfellow]

I usually have the dog with me in the garage, and he comes and goes as he pleases. However, I'm careful when welding around pets. Even if they are a long distance away, they are drawn to welding flash and will stare right at that torch.

So put your canine/feline garage buddies inside the house when welding anything --

 

[brownbagg]

dont Let Your Friends In The Garage.

 

[51pontiac]

Excellent point Goodfellow

and let me add a reminder that antifreeze and other chemicals can be deadly for our pets as well.

My 2 springer spaniels have somehow manipulated their way into living in the garage so I have become very careful about leaving sharp knives around where they could cut themselves as well

 

[uparms]

1) Safety Glasses and earplugs!!

2) If you are done with the electrical tool for a while, unplug it.

3) No beer, work all you want. 1 beer - means no power, air or sharp tools and no flame or arc tools. Feel free to clean up if you had one beer. Grab a chair and do some planning/dreaming ( and have a few more beers).

 

[Ray-CA]

I thought it might be a good idea to start a fresh thread about some of our favorite safety tips. My dad and shop teacher both stressed safety first and I have passed these on to my kids.

My 2 favorite tips are:
1) If you have a tire off a vehicle, slide it under the frame as it is a lot easier to replace a tire and rim than a foot, arm etc if the vehicle falls. It is also out of the way.

2) Before you ever crawl under a vehicle on ramps or jackstands, shake the he** out of it to make sure it cannot fall. ( and of course - never ever crawl under anything just on a jack)

Looking forward to others tips.

Just to add a little to this:

3) Let someone know that you will be under the vehicle. If they don't hear from you in a reasonable amount of time, have them check on you.

Ray

 

[51pontiac]

Ray-CA
Excellent tip!

I wanted to add that I have added GFI protection throughout my garage except welder and compressor. A few years ago a local kid was electrocuted using a skillsaw in moist conditions. It made me vow to do whatever I could to avoid that scenario.

Another one I taught my kids was to never stand between a running vehicle and something solid like a wall, another car or trailer. If there is no other option, either rethink what you are doing or make 100% sure you have an escape route.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Fire extinguishers.... WITH signage to identify their location. Fire extinguishers are no good if you, in an emergency, disoriented, in a hurry, or a friend unfamiliar with the shop, or a passing stranger, cannot find the extinguishers. I put signs up high, so they can be seen over most obstructions that might be between you and it.

Charles

 

[ddawg16]

Master cut off switch for the fixed power tools.....little guys walking around like to turn things on (ask me how I know)....when I wire my new garage I am going to have a master switch up high for just the fixed power tools....

Ditto on the beer....I do a lot of woodworking....my rule....NO alcohol until all the cutting is done....a radial arm saw will cut through a finger as well as wood....

And lastly....if you say to yourself "That looks good enough." Good chance it's not...

 

[jettago]

empty the mouse traps every now and then...

 

[Ramolap]

If you drop something, let it fall. Pertaining to the instances where you possibly drop something in the engine bay while it's running. Fans and pullies are not forgiving.

 

[haulna]

Unplug the sawz-all before changing the blade.

Same with skill saw, grinder, and wire wheels.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Keep a few charged fire extinguishers in the shop.

If your garage doors are equipped with the big coil springs along each side of the doors, make sure and equip them with a safety cable that runs through the center of each one and is secured at each end. Once you have done the described cable tip you have added a margin of safety if one of the springs should ever break (yes they do break) that would prevent the broken spring from hitting your beloved vehicle, or worse you or a loved one.

Keep a basic first aid kit in the shop.

Use safety glasses, goggles, or face shield as appropriate.

 

[Skyline]

Find a safe way to dispose of oily rags. It's hard to believe but these things really DO self combust. There are special fire-proof cans made to store these, but an alternative is to simply dispose of them immediatly, and don't let them build up. If you really want the OSHA stamp of approval on your garage, all flamables should really be stored in a fireproof cabinet.

Another safety item to consider:

An eyewash station.

 

[51pontiac]

Skyline,

good call!

Not just oily rags but include those with paint thinner etc. I always spread them out to totally dry outside prior to disposal.

 

[Torque1st]

There was a big thread on this recently:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23619

 

[jhn9840]

A place for everything and everything in it's place. Take an extra minute to keep spills cleaned up and dispose of dirty oily rags properly. Always use safety equipment like safety glasses, earplugs ect...Make sure fire extinquishers are charged. A clean well maintained shop is a safe shop.

jhn9840
John

 

[Kevin54]

Just to add a little to this:

3) Let someone know that you will be under the vehicle. If they don't hear from you in a reasonable amount of time, have them check on you.

Ray

just to add to what Ray-CA stated......along with letting someone know that you are going to be under a vehicle, if you carry a cell phone, make sure that it is under the vehicle with you. The few seconds may make a difference if something happens. Or if you have to be under and have an intercom system to the house, make sure it is on.

 

[mattbal]

The wedding band comes off before I even enter the workshop.

I know too many people that have lost a finger while working.......this includes loading and unloading the truck.

I think this photo came from someone on this site. (sorry if it makes you sick)

 

[jrmylmach1]

The wedding band comes off before I even enter the workshop.

I know too many people that have lost a finger while working.......this includes loading and unloading the truck.

I think this photo came from someone on this site. (sorry if it makes you sick)

Wow!!! Now that looks like something I don't ever want to have happen to me or anyone around me. That definately makes an impression.

 

[dwilliams35]

Open the doors before discharging any firearms.

I'm serious.

 

[PhantomEB]

My new favorite one is ONLY ONE toy per guy to focus on, any more leads to half *** projects.

 

[Deltarat]

That's bad! My brother-in-law had his ring finger pulled completely off by a grease fitting on a turning shaft. I have worked around machinery all my life, so I took off my wedding ring when we got back from our honeymoon and never put it on again. I have at least 5 friends that have had injuries from rings.

 

[airrj]

With fire extinguishers, have the proper types. Almost everywhere will be well served with ABC dry chemical; however I tell everyone that I can to have a pressurized water extinguisher in your shop as well. They are a great tool to cool things after welding, they clean up muddy floors, they snuff out small fires, and it is fun to mess with the dog as well.

The key to a water extinguisher is that it is rechargeable with a garden hose and an air compressor. So you won't hesitate to use it on a "small" fire that you might try to stomp out so that you don't have to recharge a dry chem. and clean up the mess as well. Convenient and easy to use. I have seen several people not use an extinguisher so they don't have to deal with the cost/mess.

Also with dry chemical extinguishers, be sure to see that they are charged and just as important shake the contents once a year. The power settles over time. All you need to do is once a year flip them up side down and shake a few times.

 

[bugdust]

A clean, well lit, organized shop is a safer shop. A place for everything, everything in it's place.

Use the right tool for the job.

Don't tack weld without a hood or long sleeves (cotton or leather only).

Use safety glasses and face shields where needed.

If you wonder if it's safe then it isn't.

Use earplugs when using power tools, weedeaters, chainsaws, etc.

Put a co2 monitor in your garage.



more later...

 

[sammerdog]

For you younger guys, wear your earplugs or head-phones! I'm 44 and had to get my hearing aids this past summer.

 

[JebNY]

The ring suggestion is so true. I never really wore rings much, before I got married. My future Father-In-Law almost lost a finger when his wedding band caught on a nail when he jumped off a farm wagon and my Father got his across a large battery and had a very bad burn. Neither ever wore their bands again and my future wife said I couldn't have one even if I wanted one. Marriage has lasted for 38 years so far without one and I still have all my fingers.

Jeb

 

[ovilla]

With fire extinguishers, have the proper types. Almost everywhere will be well served with ABC dry chemical; however I tell everyone that I can to have a pressurized water extinguisher in your shop as well. They are a great tool to cool things after welding, they clean up muddy floors, they snuff out small fires, and it is fun to mess with the dog as well.

The key to a water extinguisher is that it is rechargeable with a garden hose and an air compressor. So you won't hesitate to use it on a "small" fire that you might try to stomp out so that you don't have to recharge a dry chem. and clean up the mess as well. Convenient and easy to use. I have seen several people not use an extinguisher so they don't have to deal with the cost/mess.

Also with dry chemical extinguishers, be sure to see that they are charged and just as important shake the contents once a year. The power settles over time. All you need to do is once a year flip them up side down and shake a few times.

Where can I buy one of these? Also, is there a potential for one of these to freeze in my unheated IL garage? Thanks


My Safety tips:

Always put chocks on lifted vehicles. I also do this to anything that goes on my BendPak HD9.

Always unplug batteries and/or spark plugs when working on engines. I've learned this one the hard way when I've gotten shocked in the past.

Never trust a borrowed jack (or any other borrowed equipment).

Always use jackstands that will work for your application. I use regular (small) jackstands as well as 6 ton jackstands so that I never even have to extend my little jackstands.

Safety glasses/goggles - Rub them with bounce sheets and they won't fog up on you.

Always think of your visitors - I'm always thinking of my kids (and dog) coming out to watch/help so I make sure to yell to them to stay in the house if I'm doing something that requires my full attention or the movement of vehicles. I'm always worried that I'm going to run over a kid or a pet.

 

[Blue]

Safety glasses, safety glasses, safety glasses. I put them on if I'm doing just about anything in the garage. Cause I know that the one timem I don't, I'll catch a nail in the eye or something.

Other saftey tip I adhere to: If I'm hungover, feel wierd, or just don't feel myself, I don't go play in the garage. If my brain isn't fully engaged, its too easy to break something expensive or hurt myself.

 

[Piper]

One of my favourite shop sayings ---

"safety only takes a minute, accidents happen in a second"

you do the math.

I think about this every time I jack up one of our vehicles "to do something quick" and always throw a jack stand underneath the frame.

Regarding the finger degloving as it's called, the expression is "loose the ring, keep the finger".

One final thought from me, a northern guy. When you snow blower clogs up and you think it's safe to just use your foot or hand to clear it out "cause the auger isn't spinning" -- it isn't safe!! I used to be a paramedic and I can tell you honestly that on the first snow fall of the year when I was working in 1990 I had 5 calls for "hands caught in snowblower". In a sick way it got kind of comical how stupid some people were.

Piper

 

[bomber]

If you are NOT working alone in the garage (it's fun for some to have buddies over to help, or to work on projects side-by-side) -- talk to each other!

Not just for the comradeship, but to make sure that no on lowers a jack that shouldn't be -- no one tests the igniton work by starting the car while the other's under the hood, and that no one decides to clean the chain with the primary cover off (bike-related).

 

[limeranger]

When working on a vehicle I always remove the keys and put them either on the work bench or in my pocket. If it can't start it's alot safer under the hood or under the vehicle.

 

[atvmech]

Dont use greasy rags as inpromptu toilet paper

Seriously, glasses.....i bought clear oakleys just for this...cant even tell I have them on..
last year I was laid up in the er...metal dust on the floor of the racecar blew into my eye

 

[SteveU]

When working on a vehicle I always remove the keys and put them either on the work bench or in my pocket. If it can't start it's alot safer under the hood or under the vehicle.

Add to this, if the car has a remote start disable it before working on anything. I would hate to have the car up on the lift with the oil drain plug out & have the wife remote start it from the house, by the time I could get to it & shut it off it would be damaged. Even worse would be doing something under the hood & have your hands, arms, caught in the belts/pulleys/fan because someone else started it up.

 

[thewolf]

Hey guys, I am an optician, I make and sell glasses. I like Oakley glasses and I sell a bunch of them, but most of there products are not safety glasses. Make sure your safety glasses have ANSI Z87 stamped on the frame and if they are prescription look for a trademark, its a small sand blast etching in the upper outside edge of both lenses. Wearing something is better than nothing, but if your are going to make the effort you should go "all in".

 

[GYOGI65]

for you younger guys, wear your earplugs or head-phones! I'm 44 and had to get my hearing aids this past summer.

glad not just me 43 cant see cant hear and back shot from not listening to the old guys i knew better been at this scince a teen working for father listen to the old timers glad split rims are gone done thousands never had one blow but took tourch to a lot of junk ones

 

[CalGeo]

I like the the rules that Craig Balzer compiled, I am going to make up a sign for my shop and incorporate them.

Here's some of the rules for our shop.

Don't just know what's safe, but practice what's safe!

Wipe up spills now, not later.

Don't allow yourself to be distracted when working on saws and other power equipment, now is not the time to talk.

Do not block or clutter exits.

Don't do stupid things, when you tell yourself it is stupid to do.

You never hear safety rules enough.

Inform anyone that uses your shop or tools the rules, if they can't follow them, they can't use them!

Now is a good time to be safe!