Really, some people just cannot be trusted

[Valkie]

Its the same with any tool or weapon.

You must be taught to use it properly
You must be taught to respect it
You must be taught to know it's dangers
And most importantly, you must not fear it.

Fail in any of these points and you have an accident in waiting.

Even the simplest thing, without thought, can be deadly.
And a little common sense goes a long way.

But by far the biggest problem is rushing something.
So many accidents have been because
"I do it that way cause it's quicker"
"I couldn't find the correct tool so........"
"I only wanted to do it once......."

I caught an idiot standing on a chair to reach something yesterday.
The chair was on wheels
The step ladder was not 20 feet from him.

Seriously, what can I do to get through to these people?

[SirVicaLot]

A long time ago „Survival of the fittest“ took care of those people. Maybe we have too many safeties in place nowadays, so people lost common sense? 

For example: One should only have to tell an adult once, that using a seatbelt while driving is a great idea. Physics and its consequences and so on. Yet thousands of people drive without a seatbelt. I think they will change their mind while saying „Hi and bye“ to the windshield while flying through it...

[gerleatherberman]

Only problem with survival of the fittest can be summed up with the following question:

I have a partially(60%) torn Achilles tendon, so should I be left to die, because of it?

A sociopath would answer yes.

[SirVicaLot]

Only problem with survival of the fittest can be summed up with the following question:

I have a partially(60%) torn Achilles tendon, so should I be left to die, because of it?

A sociopath would answer yes.

Of course not. I was more referring to common sense. A torn Achilles tendon does not impair your logic thinking.

But i guess lazyness does. I just proved that to myself. While ranting all about common sense and survival of the fittest i went outside with the dogs. In old crogs. With no traction. On snow. Instead of using the hiking shoes, standing right next to the crocs. But i was too lazy to tie them. So i went outside and bit the dust....or rather snow. Now my knee hurts and i go to the corner of shame... 

[gerleatherberman]

 

I always think of it as people not being properly educated about dangerous stuff. At this point, all we can do is say something when we see something. Whether or not someone listens is an issue.

I wasn't really educated about dangerous stuff, but fortunately I have been lucky and just kind of know when something isn't safe. A few extra seconds can sometimes save years of hardship. That is part of my personal outlook on life.

And ouch on the knees. I hope you aren't hurting too bad.

[SirVicaLot]

  If i had used a few seconds to tie the good shoes my knee would not hurt. Guess that is what i got for smart mouthing 

It is not too bad though, no worries 

[nate j]

Seriously, what can I do to get through to these people?

People who are ignorant (but not stupid) are teachable/trainable.  Sadly, though, in the words of Ron White, "You Can't Fix Stupid".

[gerleatherberman]

If i had used a few seconds to tie the good shoes my knee would not hurt. Guess that is what i got for smart mouthing 

It is not too bad though, no worries 

It's a tough world we live in. Not in the way it was for people hundreds of years ago, but in the way everyone is expected/expects of themselves to always be doing something. With an unnatural sense of urgency for basically irrelevant tasks, we are more prone to skip steps that seem to slow our pace. Not putting on proper shoes is a good example. It got you outside quicker and saved time. The likelyhood you would slip and hurt your knees was very low. It would have been much lower with proper shoes, but would take more time. Most post-industrial era work environments value a fast pace over proper procedure, requiring many laws to be in place to protect employees from cut corners. The sense of urgency we deal with at our jobs spills over to our everyday lives with detrimental consequences. 

The same craziness is also partly to blame for the lack of knife skills in some people. So many things now are made to require no tools to open/operate/remove/etc. There are tools that allow us to avoid using knives for many tasks as well. Scissors being a good example. When scissors were a cost-prohibitive, knives were the required tool. Scissors are now commonplace and have reduced the necessity for knives for a lot of stuff. That is partly why I don't jump on people for hurting themselves with knives. It might not even be an issue of knife-knowledge, but more of an issue that they never had a need to know how to use one. I do get upset when people try and place blame on others for their own mistakes(like the guy Valkie was talking about). If he had never uses a box cutter before, he should have told Valkie that to start with. Perhaps he could have been given some of these while he adjusted to using a cutter.
https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Niroflex-Mesh-Glove-each/dp/B000MAUMS8

Anyway. My apologies for rambling. It is a bad habit.

[Gerhard Gerber]

The liner lock on my Skyline totally befuddles somebody recently, and yesterday a middle-aged male colleague couldn't OHO the same Skyline

Maybe there really is only a few of us that should walk around prepared, while the rest can try not to fall over stuff 

[ThePeacent]

100 years ago every child carried a penny knife with them in school to sharpen their own pencils,

[SirVicaLot]

100 years ago every child carried a penny knife with them in school to sharpen their own pencils,

(Image removed from quote.)

Seems legit 

[gerleatherberman]

 
Back to school cutlery would make millions.

[smiller43147]

I don't like to admonish anyone, but shame on you Valkie!  Another workplace that bans the carrying of knives.  Why, because of one stupid person.  I hate to say it, but you're now part of the anti-knife epidemic.  I hope you find a better solution to your safety problem than just flat out banning knives.

[gerleatherberman]

How about those Victorinox chainmail gloves I posted? If I cut boxes up a lot, I'd have one for my holding hand.

[Happy Gilmore]

I don't like to admonish anyone, but shame on you Valkie!  Another workplace that bans the carrying of knives.  Why, because of one stupid person.  I hate to say it, but you're now part of the anti-knife epidemic.  I hope you find a better solution to your safety problem than just flat out banning knives.

most of the time its really not up to a single individual, and if insurance is involved...well...you have to prove you made proper adjustments..whatever the hell that means 

[Valkie]

I don't like to admonish anyone, but shame on you Valkie!  Another workplace that bans the carrying of knives.  Why, because of one stupid person.  I hate to say it, but you're now part of the anti-knife epidemic.  I hope you find a better solution to your safety problem than just flat out banning knives.

It wasn't my decision.
We have a safety committee.
They ban everything they can, I just crunch the numbers and try and talk sense to them.

One had a bungle (crash) on the way to work one morning
I suggested he ban driving

That went down like a lead balloon.

[Valkie]

We must all be retarded in Australia.

On the news a few nights ago, they were explaining how the number of hospital admissions as a result of home renovations is increasing and becoming a problem.

In 35 years of renovating, building and woodworking, I have only seen a hospital once.
That was the one above.

But it frightens me when I see how people use circular saws, nail guns, drills etc.
My next door neighbour was using a drill and it caught his jeans.

The drill ran up his leg finally stopping at his knee.
Not much damage, but a very frightened man requiring a trip to the hospital.

And another time the kid next door was chopping wood with a blunt axe.
A piece of wood flew into the air and hit him on the head.
There was copious amounts of claret everywhere.
He was screaming running around holding his head
His brother was just screaming and saying " your gonna die"
They were both teenagers.

Their mom wasn't home.
So I wrapped his head in a towel
Took him to the hospital just up the road.

He opened up his scalp in a 2 inch flap, but because it was just a bit of wood, there was no damage to the scull.

I'm glad I do regular first aid and advanced first aid as part of my volunteer rescue training.
Some of the things I see
Some people just panic and scream
Others freeze
But the kids brother screaming "you gonna die" was perhaps the best I ever heard for calming the patient.....NOT

[Mechanickal]

Only problem with survival of the fittest can be summed up with the following question:

I have a partially(60%) torn Achilles tendon, so should I be left to die, because of it?

A sociopath would answer yes.

Well...

Can you make coffee?

[gerleatherberman]

Only problem with survival of the fittest can be summed up with the following question:

I have a partially(60%) torn Achilles tendon, so should I be left to die, because of it?

A sociopath would answer yes.

Well...

Can you make coffee?

Kind of.
Guess I'm safe.

[Mechanickal]

[gerleatherberman]

We must all be retarded in Australia.

On the news a few nights ago, they were explaining how the number of hospital admissions as a result of home renovations is increasing and becoming a problem.

In 35 years of renovating, building and woodworking, I have only seen a hospital once.
That was the one above.

But it frightens me when I see how people use circular saws, nail guns, drills etc.
My next door neighbour was using a drill and it caught his jeans.

The drill ran up his leg finally stopping at his knee.
Not much damage, but a very frightened man requiring a trip to the hospital.

And another time the kid next door was chopping wood with a blunt axe.
A piece of wood flew into the air and hit him on the head.
There was copious amounts of claret everywhere.
He was screaming running around holding his head
His brother was just screaming and saying " your gonna die"
They were both teenagers.

Their mom wasn't home.
So I wrapped his head in a towel
Took him to the hospital just up the road.

He opened up his scalp in a 2 inch flap, but because it was just a bit of wood, there was no damage to the scull.

I'm glad I do regular first aid and advanced first aid as part of my volunteer rescue training.
Some of the things I see
Some people just panic and scream
Others freeze
But the kids brother screaming "you gonna die" was perhaps the best I ever heard for calming the patient.....NOT

It doesn't help that it has only been the last couple of decades that news outlets will report those sorts of injuries. Makes it seem so much worse, but the ratio is probably the same as it was a long time ago.

[smiller43147]

I don't like to admonish anyone, but shame on you Valkie!  Another workplace that bans the carrying of knives.  Why, because of one stupid person.  I hate to say it, but you're now part of the anti-knife epidemic.  I hope you find a better solution to your safety problem than just flat out banning knives.

It wasn't my decision.
We have a safety committee.
They ban everything they can, I just crunch the numbers and try and talk sense to them.

One had a bungle (crash) on the way to work one morning
I suggested he ban driving

That went down like a lead balloon.

You should have mentioned it was a committees decision up front, it sounded like it was your own decision.  I am too familiar with how committees "work".

[gerleatherberman]

Smiller,
It would only help to take those types of concerns up with corporate leadership. The managers are only doing what is necessary to do their jobs, even if it is banning knives at work.

[Aloha]

Its the same with any tool or weapon.

You must be taught to use it properly
You must be taught to respect it
You must be taught to know it's dangers
And most importantly, you must not fear it.

Fail in any of these points and you have an accident in waiting.

Even the simplest thing, without thought, can be deadly.
And a little common sense goes a long way.

But by far the biggest problem is rushing something.
So many accidents have been because
"I do it that way cause it's quicker"
"I couldn't find the correct tool so........"
"I only wanted to do it once......."

I caught an idiot standing on a chair to reach something yesterday.
The chair was on wheels
The step ladder was not 20 feet from him.

Seriously, what can I do to get through to these people?

Heavy Sigh. 

Not much actually 

[smiller43147]

Smiller,
It would only help to take those types of concerns up with corporate leadership. The managers are only doing what is necessary to do their jobs, even if it is banning knives at work.

Yes, that was clear to me once "committee" was mentioned.

[gerleatherberman]

If I operated a company, I would offer a special contract to anyone that wishes to use non-work-issued tools. The contract would remove liability(of the company) from injury when using non-issued tools, such as pocket knives. The work-issue would be the safety cutters.

But, unfortunately, a compromise-based approach to things isn't popular. People love taking sides. It's easier than learning, understanding, and having to work things out.

[Valkie]

Many years ago (about 20 I think)
Our workplace introduced SDS or Safety Data Sheets
These insidious little pieces of paper appear at first to be harmless
But the result was catastrophically bad.

They are known as many things now, but SDS spelled out the dangers and safe methods of handling various chemicals.
Most importantly, and the reason They were introduced, was to instruct on what to do if something goes wrong.

When first introduced, the safety committee at that company went into overdrive.
Refusing to allow their "people " to use any of these chemicals.
We had ourselves quite a problem.
But then, an acquaintance who is a chemical engineer suggested he come and have a chat with the whole workforce, sort of a conference.

He arrived and started explaining the dangers of various chemicals.
Have I done the wrong thing? I thought.
He handed out several SDS documents and asked people what they thought about these chemicals.

The response was amazing
One was so look bad for you, heart disease, blindness, rashes, organ failure etc etc.
Another was seriously toxic and should not be used around humans.

He then went on to explain the first was table salt.
The second, household cleaner bleach.

He then went on to ask if anyone ate salt, or used bleach?

By the time he was done, everyone understood that any chemical could be harmful if used incorrectly.

Management were very pleased.

Safety committees are a necessity.
But must be sensible.
THAT IS A HARD TIGHTROPE TO WALK

[Don Pablo]

My two personal stupid stories are thankfully not so bad.

[Valkie]

My two personal stupid stories are thankfully not so bad.

wELL,

wHAT ARE THEY?

[SirVicaLot]