I have enjoined several threads on the HAMB concerning SAFETY. I think these are good reminders to make all of us think about the danger in things we find ourself doing as car people every day. A few months ago a man I had know since my youth died while sandblasting a classic tractor he was restoring. His wife of several decades found him in a pool of blood on his home shop floor, his femoral artery had been cut by the sandblaster. It is not known whether he did not know he had injured himself and kept working, or he knew about it but did not have time to do anything to save himself anyway. Remember, seldom is someone killed or injured because they made a SMART MISTAKE, it is usually always a DUMB MISTAKE that bites us in the ass.
Forgive my ignorance, but where is your femoral artery ? Leg ? I have a blast cabinet and am well aware of the power of sand at high velocity. I have seen these commercial sand blast guys working out in the open with virtually no protection, except goggles. It amazes me.
Wow, that's a first for me. Never heard of anyone killing themselves with a sandblaster. Sad, sorry to hear about it.
I had a freind almost loose part of his hand to a blaster while doing a chassis. It was very nasty and painful. Its very hard to clean at the emergency room because of all the contaminets that enter the wound. Be careful and wear all your safety equipment
I'll have to keep this in mind when I go do some sandblasting, I used to have a cheapo sandblasting gun and that thing hurt if you got yourself with it but it wasn't enough to break the skin. Plus when the sand ran out it would turn into a nice blow gun. Sorry to hear about your friend.
safety is #1 when blasting, proper fresh air breathing equipment, werk wear, and caution are a must. Our guys wear protective suits, and leather protective gear for just this reason. Sorry for your loss, I know I will print this and share with my guys as a reminder of shop safety.
That is why modern sandblasters have a "deadmans valve" so when you stop the trigger it stops working. May your friend rest in peace.
I used to blast commercially and ALWAYS wore the proper equipment. Most of the media that we used was silica sand and once it was in your lungs, it was there forever and would kill you. The deadman valve is a MUST. Dangerous work if you are not properly equiped. Sorry to here about your buddy. May he rest in peace. Later, Dick
I can see it happening only because I experience a slight injury but it could have easily been worse. I was sandblasting a construction equipment when it plugged for a second. I must have turned it towards my leg before releasing the trigger. It unplugged and I got nailed in the leg. Not long either I was moving it so it was a split second. i was in pain most of the afternoon. I was wearing blue jeans and a set of coverhalls over them. When I took my pants off, I had blood drops and a huge red streak in the direction I moved the gun in. I hate to think if I had it pointed directly act me or my two little buddies when it unplugged and took me a little longer to move it.
Not just sandblasters, high power pressure washers to, 3000-4000 psi. Knew a guy who died when he wasnt paying attention and put his arm in front of the wash stream and got an air bubble in his blood stream, died very quick. So be save guys!
Most probably the latter. First-aid treatment of an injured femoral artery is especially difficult and becomes worse the closer the injury is located to the groin. Extreme and rapid blood loss due to a damaged femoral artery will usually have you passed out within very few minutes, depending on other factors as well, due to the sudden drop in blood pressure and -flow. Sorry for your loss. Another self-imposed safety rule of mine is to not use certain power tools or commence certain tasks while being all alone. Having a sensible (!!!) coworker, buddy or relative around will usually increase safety. They can perform basic first aid treatment or at least call for help when you're unconscious.
Sad story. I had to take a guy to the ER from a power washer. Slit him open like a knife. The worst ass chewins I had as a kid typically involved the words. "NO you were NOT paying attention", thank god some of it stuck!
Dick got that right it's called > Silicosis here the definition > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis more info > http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000134.htm
Sorry for your loss. Personally, I can get really involved in a project, and am tempted to just rush ahead....I have learned to slow myself down. Today there seems to be a lot more emphasis on safety, then when I was growing up....and that is a good thing.
Watch out for grease guns, too. If you ever inject yourself with grease from a grease gun it is almost a guarantee to be facing amputation. The grease gets deep inside the tissues and that's all she wrote.
Sad story indeed. Sometimes one does become complacent or sometimes nieve of the consequencses. A thread like this is a good wake up call for all of us, even the pros.
Sorry to hear of your friend's mishap. Posts like this one are good in that they remind us all to be careful. It's so easy to get in a hurry and forget safety.
He would have blacked out quickly and died within minutes without knowing what went on. The FA ,once it has been severed completely is a terminal Injury,only a nick in it can be saved as long as you hold it as tight as you can push against it. And only when paramedics arrive and can apply a pressure dressing to hold it tight should you let it go. Broken legs on Motorcyclists are mostly where see this. If you come across someone on the road,who is bleeding profusely in this area,do not be modest,Cut their clothing off and apply pressure as quick as possible ,then phone emergency.
Heard a painting contractor had a bunch of Polish guys sandblasting at the docks in New Haven several years ago . One of them blasted off his ear. Bad part is they wouldn't let him go to the hospital because he was illegal. Some of those macines are really powerful, gotta be real careful around them.
sorry for your loss here is a link about SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS FOR SAND BLASTING http://www.toolboxtopics.com/Gen Industry/Safety Consideration for Sand Blasting.htm
You also have to watch using compressed air.Back when we had a gas station my father told me never to use air to get dirt off clothes as it could get under skin in a cut and get in vein, thanks Marwyn
I am sorry to learn of your friends passing this way. As for me, I sandblast for myself when needed. I bought one at harbor freight and it works good. Came with a basic hood with a clean opening so you can see. When i wear my breather mask under it my breath fogs up the clear and i cannot see. This males blasting difficult to do. Now, there are several items waiting to be blasted for the next few projects I'm working on. I've put it off because i want to find a decent hood i can wear to be able to breath and see. Is there a hood out there that can be used for this that doesn't cost several hundred dollars? I understand if you are doing it for a living, you should spend decent coin to protect your lungs but, is there a reasonably priced hood for the hobbiest? thanks, Steve Hosting- 8th annual Nostalgic Show & Go! April 11, 2010 Phoenix www.nostalgicshowandgo.org
I use a Hobby Air II supplied air system inside my blast hood. It not only gives me clean breathing air but also keeps the inside of the blast hood pressurized enough to keep the dust away. I bought this system so that I could also use it while painting because of a problem I had with POR-15. While talking about pressure washers I remembered a friend of mine was working on a hydraulic hose trying to find which of three hoses were leaking. The fluid was spraying out in a fine mist and he was having problems isolating the problem area so he decided to run his hand along the hose to feel the leak. Very bad idea, he found the leak but he also lost a finger in the process. Scott...
I know a guy who was working construction, sandblasing a bridge, when the hose ruptured. His stomach looks like he caught a load of birdshot from a 12 guage shotgun, and I can't remember how many hours he said the doctors spent picking grains of sand out of him.
never work alone. always have SOMEONE there. ALWAYS tell someone where you are going. sorry for the odd shape of this post but it does catch the eye.
Yes, to all of the above. It costs me some work hours, but there are tasks I won't do unless the wife is at home within hollering distance.
That happens a lot with anything HIGH PRESSURE. Sand, water, oil, grease, hydraulic fluid...........any of them can enter the body. Sand acts as a knife, where as liquids create a bubble in the veins, killing you as well. Also, if you decide to test injectors on your own, do NOT put your skin in contact with the spray as it shoots. So many things come with the proper safety hazard stickers, but so many things that SHOULD, do not. I suggest purchasing a package of safety stickers just for items like that: They have a stick man with water droplets entering his skin...I'll find it.
I'm sorry for your loss. This very same accident happened to me 7 years ago while blasting a dump truck box. I was lucky enough to have missed my femoral artery by .25 inch. Even still with the severity of the wound I was fortunate that it was packed full of sand to slow the bleeding while I was rushed to the hospital. 2 hours of surgery and thousands of dollars later I now have a lovely 4 inch long, 1 inch wide scar on my thigh right below my waist line. Right in that squishy part where you leg bends. In a split second that 110psi cut through an insulated flannel, 2 Tshirts, my jeans, boxer shorts, and still had enough behind it to shoot a hole in my leg an inch wide and 1.5 inch deep. In this case the dead man valve wasn't used, but the one we did operate with at the time wouldn't have saved me due to it cutting pressure at the pot feed and not the sand outlet. So I still would have had the bleed out of pressure from the pot being full. Safety is key, but when working with heavy/dangerous equipment it's always a good idea to have other people around. Again, terribly sorry for your loss.
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