[gimmieshelter31]

Does anyone here work in a dangerous environment requiring the use of ear protection, safety glasses , steel-toed shoes etc? If so , do you use it?
The reason I bring this up is because I am an engineer for a switching railroad and I am suprised by the number of people who do not wear earplugs or safety glasses. Usual sited reasons are lack of comfort.
I wonder how many would feel differently if they lost their eye or their hearing .

 

[Garbz]

Wouldn't be without it EVER.

I actually don't wear glasses too often, they are very anoying when using an airhose and I doubt biscuit dust will really blind me. I have had things in my eye once or twice though.

On the topic of hearing I actually work in the Ingredients and Services area of an Australian biscuit factory. We are technically not required to wear hearing protection in our area. The thing is the constant drone of machines is sooo irritating, and every time the hammer hits the silos we can hear it quite readily. I Don't know who did our safty regulations but they should have been shot.

 

[CMacDaddy]

I'm not working yet, but have been to many site visits for numerous engineering companies (Halliburton, and some small operating companies). Everyone there takes safety very seriously.

They wear fire retardent suits, hard hats, ear plugs, higher-than-ankle steel toed boots, and safety glasses.

I'm quite impressed with the safety of the petroleum industry.

 

[grawk]

People even went without ear plugs in basic training...I admit, I did on field maneuvers, as well...but blanks aren't as loud as live ammo.

 

[KYTGuy]

A childhood of attending Drag Racing and Formula One races, Shooting sports, and play with explosives and firecrackers taught me the value of hearing and eye protection...I then went to work in Engine Rooms of Ships, BIIIG SHIPS, with 120,000 Shaft Horsepower Turbines, Steam boilers/pressurized boilers, Diesels that had cylinders so big you could stand inside with arms extended and not touch anything except with the soles of your shoes, engines that were four or five stories tall - heck, the gearset was usually three or four stories tall..Some of the engine rooms would have five or more diesels clattering under full load, all at once...Yep, Wore hearing, eye and body protection, and worked with gloves of leather and/or rubber...did that for ten years...

Later, worked twenty-three years on container cranes, huge elevators turned inside-out...4160VAC supply, 500VDC drives, the old ones used a motor-generator to turn the 4160 to 500VDC, the later ones were direct conversion using SCR Drives...ALWAYS used the HV Gloves when working on the HV (22KVAC, 1000A) switchgear at the substation! Working in the container yard, and under the cranes, we always had Hardhats on...

Was always welding/cutting with a torch/grinding/drilling steel and alloys..

Worked with lots of high pressure hydraulics, and such...

Safety steeltoe shoes were also a permanent part of my gear - never had a foot injury on the job - did my foot damage at home!

Also rode motorcycles (helmets) and flew Private airplanes (ear protection)

 

[Lazarus Short]

...so when I'm out on the highway or in Best Buy or in any Harley Davidson infested area, I wear ear plugs, good for about 30dB. It can do wonders for the signal-to-noise ratio of a car stereo!

Laz

 

[jesse_w]

In the canadian oil industry steel toes leather gloves and usually hardhats require no convincing... but safety glasses some people are still stubbourn about (which I dont understand, I'd probably be blind if I hadn't worn them) and most people still don't wear hearing protection unless its physically painful without it... I wore earplugs as often as I could, but sometimes I couldnt when I would have liked to.

jesse

 

[seeberg]

I've got Hearos swimmer's earplugs on my keychain and US Mil. Issue hiking boots that are still strong after five years of heavy use. Basically, I'm set. But the real tool for personal protection is my favorite: The ASP retractable baton!

For everything else, I useally take the MacGuyver approach...

,
Abe

 

[Edwood]

Buy a pair of Etymotics ER-20's.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=115146

Best $10 you will ever spend.

-Ed