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I had a depressing experience last week. I bought my 2nd can of WD40 in forty years. (Yes I don't spray it on everything and that's why the can lasted 40 years.) First can was bought over the counter in about 1971. The second can had to be trucked rather than flown from the supplier in another city and it came with 20, count 'em, 20 pages of health and safety instructions.
EJP
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Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to read them all in the next
forty years.
Don Black.
On 25-Feb-13 10:57 AM, ejp286 wrote:
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?
I had a depressing experience last week. I bought my 2nd
can of WD40 in forty years. (Yes I don't spray it on
everything and that's why the can lasted 40 years.) First
can was bought over the counter in about 1971. The second
can had to be trucked rather than flown from the supplier
in another city and it came with 20, count 'em, 20 pages
of health and safety instructions.
EJP
|
Where the heck do you live? Wouldn't it have been easier to just buy it locally?
|
I bought a can last year right off the shelf and it can with an extension
nozzle, nothing else.
What am I missing?
Do I want to know?
Dennis
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-----Original Message-----
From: ejp286, Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2013 3:57 PM
I had a depressing experience last week. I bought my 2nd can of WD40 in
forty years. (Yes I don't spray it on everything and that's why the can
lasted 40 years.) First can was bought over the counter in about 1971. The
second can had to be trucked rather than flown from the supplier in another
city and it came with 20, count 'em, 20 pages of health and safety
instructions.
EJP
|
"ejp286" <esmond.pitt@...> wrote: I had a depressing experience last week. I bought my 2nd can of WD40
in forty years. (Yes I don't spray it on everything and that's why the
can lasted 40 years.) First can was bought over the counter in about
1971. The second can had to be trucked rather than flown from the
supplier in another city and it came with 20, count 'em, 20 pages of
health and safety instructions. Our tax dollars at work! -ls-
|
supplier in another city and it came with 20, count 'em, 20 pages of
health and safety instructions. Our tax dollars at work!
Sounds like the deWalt battery powered drill I bought a couple of years ago (in the UK - so subject to EU safety). The "manual" has all the hazard warnings embedded through the instructions for use. So it was all but impossible to find the instructions. Of the 45 pages, a total of 37 pages were safety nonsense and 8 daft pages were use (how to put a drill in the chuck, how to turn it on, how to charge a battery). In contrast my early 1970's Wadkin radial arm saw is all useful information. Not a single safety warning. And this is a potentially lethal machine that can remove an arm in a few milliseconds if used incorrectly. So you don't use it if you are anything less than totally familiar and competent with using machine tools. And although I did basic training on how to use a lathe and milling machine decades ago, I wouldn't actually use one now unless I had some remedial training. I'm bewildered why the system we now have in place assumes users are blithering idiots. It comes from what happens when lawyers drive legislation. Like here in the UK you cannot do installed mains power work yourself - like install an armoured cable to an outbuilding. It is now illegal to do this (in the UK). It has to be done by a certified electrician, and your domestic insurance requires this. And why is that? Because the government looked at the number of deaths by domestic electrocution. This reduced from 30 deaths per year before legislation, to 22 deaths (2010 data). So the whole raft of legislation - that the taxpayer pays for - and the costs of using a certified electrician saves 8 lives each year! Don't get me started..... Sorry for the off topic Craig
|
...and, most likely, the same 8 lives would have been "saved" if those 8
idiots had had?sufficient common sense to survive! Natural selection at
work, seems to me... evolution has come under the?influence of ambulance
chasers...lovely, simply lovely.
Bernd
?
In a message dated 2/25/2013 12:47:34 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
c.sawyers@... writes:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Like
here in the UK you cannot do installed mains power work yourself -
like
install an armoured cable to an outbuilding. It is now illegal to do
this
(in the UK). It has to be done by a certified electrician, and
your
domestic insurance requires this. And why is that? Because the
government
looked at the number of deaths by domestic electrocution. This
reduced from
30 deaths per year before legislation, to 22 deaths (2010
data). So the
whole raft of legislation - that the taxpayer pays for - and
the costs of
using a certified electrician saves 8 lives each
year!
|
Of course I have the occasional attempt to zap myself, just to remind myself not to do it again.? My latest was in a professional power amp – transistorised, but capable of 600W per channel into 8 ohms.? That means that the power rails are +/-100V (so a delta of 200V).? That packed quite a kick.? I was trying the Mk 1 thermometer (finger) to see how warm the heatsinks were.? Oof. ? Craig ?
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Show quoted text
From: TekScopes@... [mailto:TekScopes@...] On Behalf Of tubesnthings@...
Sent: 25 February 2013 15:21
To: TekScopes@...
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] OT: WD40 depressing experience?
...and, most likely, the same 8 lives would have been "saved" if those 8 idiots had had?sufficient common sense to survive! Natural selection at work, seems to me... evolution has come under the?influence of ambulance chasers...lovely, simply lovely. In a message dated 2/25/2013 12:47:34 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, c.sawyers@... writes: Like here in the UK you cannot do installed mains power work yourself - like
install an armoured cable to an outbuilding. It is now illegal to do this
(in the UK). It has to be done by a certified electrician, and your
domestic insurance requires this. And why is that? Because the government
looked at the number of deaths by domestic electrocution. This reduced from
30 deaths per year before legislation, to 22 deaths (2010 data). So the
whole raft of legislation - that the taxpayer pays for - and the costs of
using a certified electrician saves 8 lives each year!
|
I?double-dipped on my motorcycle ignition AND exhaust manifold,
yesterday.
What doesn't kill you... ;)
Bernd
?
In a message dated 2/25/2013 7:51:53 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
c.sawyers@... writes:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
Of course I
have the occasional attempt to zap myself, just to remind myself not to do it
again.? My latest was in a professional power amp – transistorised, but
capable of 600W per channel into 8 ohms.? That means that the power rails
are +/-100V (so a delta of 200V).? That packed quite a kick.? I was
trying the Mk 1 thermometer (finger) to see how warm the heatsinks were.?
Oof.
Craig
From:
TekScopes@... [mailto:TekScopes@...] On Behalf Of
tubesnthings@...
Sent: 25 February 2013 15:21
To:
TekScopes@...
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] OT: WD40
depressing experience
...and, most
likely, the same 8 lives would have been "saved" if those 8 idiots had
had?sufficient common sense to survive! Natural selection at work, seems
to me... evolution has come under the?influence of ambulance
chasers...lovely, simply lovely.
In a message
dated 2/25/2013 12:47:34 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, c.sawyers@...
writes:
Like
here in the UK you cannot do installed mains power work yourself -
like
install an armoured cable to an outbuilding. It is now illegal to do
this
(in the UK). It has to be done by a certified electrician, and
your
domestic insurance requires this. And why is that? Because the
government
looked at the number of deaths by domestic electrocution. This
reduced from
30 deaths per year before legislation, to 22 deaths (2010
data). So the
whole raft of legislation - that the taxpayer pays for -
and the costs of
using a c ertified electrician saves 8 lives each
year!
|
I like my Mk 1 thermometer.. nothing better.. you just have to be sure to wear your Mk 2 rubber shoes and no ground straps when using your Mk 1 thermometer.. JM
From: "tubesnthings@..."
To: TekScopes@...
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 9:54 AM
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] OT: WD40 depressing experience
?
I?double-dipped on my motorcycle ignition AND exhaust manifold,
yesterday.
What doesn't kill you... ;)
Bernd
?
In a message dated 2/25/2013 7:51:53 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
c.sawyers@... writes:
?
Of course I
have the occasional attempt to zap myself, just to remind myself not to do it
again.? My latest was in a professional power amp – transistorised, but
capable of 600W per channel into 8 ohms.? That means that the power rails
are +/-100V (so a delta of 200V).? That packed quite a kick.? I was
trying the Mk 1 thermometer (finger) to see how warm the heatsinks were.?
Oof.
Craig
From:
TekScopes@... [mailto:TekScopes@...] On Behalf Of
tubesnthings@...
Sent: 25 February 2013 15:21
To:
TekScopes@...
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] OT: WD40
depressing experience
...and, most
likely, the same 8 lives would have been "saved" if those 8 idiots had
had?sufficient common sense to survive! Natural selection at work, seems
to me... evolution has come under the?influence of ambulance
chasers...lovely, simply lovely.
In a message
dated 2/25/2013 12:47:34 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, c.sawyers@...
writes:
Like
here in the UK you cannot do installed mains power work yourself -
like
install an armoured cable to an outbuilding. It is now illegal to do
this
(in the UK). It has to be done by a certified electrician, and
your
domestic insurance requires this. And why is that? Because the
government
looked at the number of deaths by domestic electrocution. This
reduced from
30 deaths per year before legislation, to 22 deaths (2010
data). So the
whole raft of legislation - that the taxpayer pays for -
and the costs of
using a c ertified electrician saves 8 lives each
year!
|
Yes, and have your Mk1 mouth ready to suck your Mk1 thermometer when
you burn it ;-)
Don Black.
On 26-Feb-13 3:04 AM, J wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
I like my Mk 1
thermometer.. nothing better.. you just have to be sure to
wear your Mk 2 rubber shoes and no ground straps when
using your Mk 1 thermometer..
JM
?
I?double-dipped
on my motorcycle ignition AND exhaust
manifold, yesterday.
What doesn't kill you... ;)
Bernd
?
In a message dated 2/25/2013 7:51:53
A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
c.sawyers@... writes: ?
Of course I
have the occasional attempt to
zap myself, just to remind
myself not to do it again.? My
latest was in a professional
power amp – transistorised, but
capable of 600W per channel into
8 ohms.? That means that the
power rails are +/-100V (so a
delta of 200V).? That packed
quite a kick.? I was trying the
Mk 1 thermometer (finger) to see
how warm the heatsinks were.?
Oof.
Craig
...and,
most likely, the same 8
lives would have been
"saved" if those 8 idiots
had had?sufficient common
sense to survive! Natural
selection at work, seems to
me... evolution has come
under the?influence of
ambulance chasers...lovely,
simply lovely.
In a
message dated 2/25/2013
12:47:34 A.M. Pacific
Standard Time, c.sawyers@...
writes:
Like
here in the UK you cannot
do installed mains power
work yourself - like
install an armoured cable
to an outbuilding. It is
now illegal to do this
(in the UK). It has to be
done by a certified
electrician, and your
domestic insurance
requires this. And why is
that? Because the
government
looked at the number of
deaths by domestic
electrocution. This
reduced from
30 deaths per year before
legislation, to 22 deaths
(2010 data). So the
whole raft of legislation
- that the taxpayer pays
for - and the costs of
using a c ertified
electrician saves 8 lives
each year!
|
?
...and, most likely, the same 8 lives would
have been "saved" if those 8 idiots had had?sufficient
common sense to survive! Natural selection at work,
seems to me... evolution has come under the?influence of
ambulance chasers...lovely, simply lovely.
Bernd
?
And what just never seems to make
it into print,
Is just what all of this adds
to the cost of everything that we have to
pay for.
It doesn't make it into print because the perps buy lots! of add time.
Notice that the full disclosure
stuff doesn't apply at all to those that force
it on others.
B_S_Pilled_Higher_Deeper
In a message dated 2/25/2013 12:47:34 A.M. Pacific
Standard Time, c.sawyers@... writes: Like here in
the UK you cannot do installed mains power work
yourself - like
install an armoured cable to an outbuilding. It is
now illegal to do this
(in the UK). It has to be done by a certified
electrician, and your
domestic insurance requires this. And why is that?
Because the government
looked at the number of deaths by domestic
electrocution. This reduced from
30 deaths per year before legislation, to 22 deaths
(2010 data). So the
whole raft of legislation - that the taxpayer pays
for - and the costs of
using a certified electrician saves 8 lives each
year!
|
..unless, of course, your Mk1 mouth is pre-occupied describing the universe
in "colorful" context...
Not that I would know much about that...ehem
B
?
In a message dated 2/25/2013 8:13:25 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
donald_black@... writes:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
Yes, and have your Mk1 mouth ready to suck your Mk1 thermometer when you
burn it ;-)
Don Black.
On 26-Feb-13 3:04 AM, J wrote:
?
I
like my Mk 1 thermometer.. nothing better.. you just have to be sure to wear
your Mk 2 rubber shoes and no ground straps when using your Mk 1
thermometer.. JM
?
I?double-dipped on my motorcycle ignition AND exhaust
manifold, yesterday.
What doesn't kill you... ;)
Bernd
?
In a message dated 2/25/2013 7:51:53 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, c.sawyers@...
writes: ?
Of course I have the
occasional attempt to zap myself, just to remind myself not to do it
again.? My latest was in a professional power amp – transistorised,
but capable of 600W per channel into 8 ohms.? That means that the
power rails are +/-100V (so a delta of 200V).? That packed quite a
kick.? I was trying the Mk 1 thermometer (finger) to see how warm the
heatsinks were.? Oof.
Craig
...and, most likely, the same 8
lives would have been "saved" if those 8 idiots had had?sufficient
common sense to survive! Natural selection at work, seems to me...
evolution has come under the?influence of ambulance chasers...lovely,
simply lovely.
In a message dated 2/25/2013
12:47:34 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, c.sawyers@...
writes:
Like
here in the UK you cannot do installed mains power work yourself -
like
install an armoured cable to an outbuilding. It is now illegal
to do this
(in the UK). It has to be done by a certified electrician,
and your
domestic insurance requires this. And why is that? Because
the government
looked at the number of deaths by domestic
electrocution. This reduced from
30 deaths per year before
legislation, to 22 deaths (2010 data). So the
whole raft of
legislation - that the taxpayer pays for - and the costs of
using a c
ertified electrician saves 8 lives each year!
|
On Mon, 25 Feb 2013, Craig Sawyers wrote: supplier in another city and it came with 20, count 'em, 20 pages of
health and safety instructions. Our tax dollars at work!
... In contrast my early 1970's Wadkin radial arm saw is all useful information.
Not a single safety warning. And this is a potentially lethal machine that I recently described the hazards of maintaining 1970s era high powered broadcast transmitters to a co-worker. He asked if we had periodic safety meetings. I had never thought of such a possibility until that moment. In the 1970s, the equipment was plastered with warnings and equipped with the interlocks and shorting sticks needed to work on the equipment safely. I was hired through a process that was intended to ensure that I understood the work I was to be assigned and it was assumed that I would carry on in that manner. I was shown the transmitter, the circuit breakers, the warning stickers, the dead man's bars, the shorting sticks, etc. and expected to carry on with due respect for my own health and safety. Health and safety are good things but being treated like I am intelligent and competent are also desirable activities. -- Richard Loken VE6BSV, Unix System Administrator : "Anybody can be a father Athabasca University : but you have to earn Athabasca, Alberta Canada : the title of 'daddy'" ** richardlo@... ** : - Lynn Johnston
|
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
..unless, of course, your Mk1 mouth is
pre-occupied describing the universe in "colorful"
context...
Not that I would know much about that...ehem
B
?
In a message dated 2/25/2013 8:13:25 A.M.
Pacific Standard Time, donald_black@...
writes:
?
Yes, and
have your Mk1 mouth ready to suck your Mk1
thermometer when you burn it ;-)
Don Black.
On 26-Feb-13 3:04 AM, J wrote:
?
I like
my Mk 1 thermometer.. nothing better.. you
just have to be sure to wear your Mk 2
rubber shoes and no ground straps when using
your Mk 1 thermometer..
JM
?
I?double-dipped on my
motorcycle ignition AND
exhaust manifold, yesterday.
What doesn't kill you... ;)
Bernd
?
In a message dated
2/25/2013 7:51:53 A.M.
Pacific Standard Time, c.sawyers@...
writes: ?
Of
course I have the
occasional attempt
to zap myself,
just to remind
myself not to do
it again.? My
latest was in a
professional power
amp –
transistorised,
but capable of
600W per channel
into 8 ohms.? That
means that the
power rails are
+/-100V (so a
delta of 200V).?
That packed quite
a kick.? I was
trying the Mk 1
thermometer
(finger) to see
how warm the
heatsinks were.?
Oof.
Craig
...and,
most likely,
the same 8
lives would
have been
"saved" if
those 8 idiots
had
had?sufficient
common sense
to survive!
Natural
selection at
work, seems to
me...
evolution has
come under
the?influence
of ambulance
chasers...lovely,
simply lovely.
In a
message dated
2/25/2013
12:47:34 A.M.
Pacific
Standard Time,
c.sawyers@...
writes:
Like
here in the UK
you cannot do
installed
mains power
work yourself
- like
install an
armoured cable
to an
outbuilding.
It is now
illegal to do
this
(in the UK).
It has to be
done by a
certified
electrician,
and your
domestic
insurance
requires this.
And why is
that? Because
the government
looked at the
number of
deaths by
domestic
electrocution.
This reduced
from
30 deaths per
year before
legislation,
to 22 deaths
(2010 data).
So the
whole raft of
legislation -
that the
taxpayer pays
for - and the
costs of
using a c
ertified
electrician
saves 8 lives
each year!
|
I was shown the transmitter, the circuit breakers, the warning
stickers, the dead man's bars, the shorting sticks, etc. and expected to carry on with due respect for my own health and safety.
Health and safety are good things but being treated like I am intelligent and competent are also desirable activities. Absolutely. I learnt the SIDE rule - Switch off (duur...), Isolate (from incoming power), Dump (residual charge) and Earth (with a stick). It isn't rocket science - most people have only to be shown how to do it once, and then left to get on with it. Craig
|
It doesn't hurt for newbies to be shown, with a live-fire demonstration, why the bang stick is so named. ?it's something to do with junky old HV caps in the few uF range.
Kinda fun, too.
"That was as loud as a gunshot. ?You know what a real gunshot can do, right? ?HV will make you just as dead."
Well, not always, but we've all made the mistake of getting across HV. ?Most of us more than once. ?However, all of us still here have lived to tell about it :)
73 Jim N6OTQ
From: Craig Sawyers
To: TekScopes@...
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 1:21 PM
Subject: RE: [TekScopes] OT: WD40 depressing experience
>? I was shown the transmitter, the circuit breakers, the
warning > stickers, the dead man's bars, the shorting sticks, etc. and expected to carry > on with due respect for my own health and safety. > > Health and safety are good things but being treated like I am intelligent and > competent are also desirable activities. Absolutely.? I learnt the SIDE rule - Switch off (duur...), Isolate (from incoming power), Dump (residual charge) and Earth (with a stick).? It isn't rocket science - most people have only to be shown how to do it once, and then left to get on with it. Craig
|
Yeah.? It is all to do with energy.? A .44 magnum packs 1.4kJ.? That is easily packed into a capacitor at a healthy voltage, and will kill you just as easily. ? Craig ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: TekScopes@... [mailto:TekScopes@...] On Behalf Of Jim
Sent: 25 February 2013 19:46
To: TekScopes@...
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] OT: WD40 depressing experience?
It doesn't hurt for newbies to be shown, with a live-fire demonstration, why the bang stick is so named. ?it's something to do with junky old HV caps in the few uF range. "That was as loud as a gunshot. ?You know what a real gunshot can do, right? ?HV will make you just as dead." Well, not always, but we've all made the mistake of getting across HV. ?Most of us more than once. ?However, all of us still here have lived to tell about it :) ?
From: Craig Sawyers <c.sawyers@...>
To: TekScopes@...
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 1:21 PM
Subject: RE: [TekScopes] OT: WD40 depressing experience
>? I was shown the transmitter, the circuit breakers, the warning
> stickers, the dead man's bars, the shorting sticks, etc. and expected to
carry
> on with due respect for my own health and safety.
>
> Health and safety are good things but being treated like I am intelligent
and
> competent are also desirable activities.
Absolutely.? I learnt the SIDE rule - Switch off (duur...), Isolate (from
incoming power), Dump (residual charge) and Earth (with a stick).? It isn't
rocket science - most people have only to be shown how to do it once, and
then left to get on with it.
Craig
|
Some very intelligent engineers have died as a result of an unexpected encounter with HV due to no fault of their own. They aren’t here to speak in favor of the 8 pages of warnings that accompanied the can of WD40 that was derided in the first email of this thread. We have no way of knowing if one of those engineers might have lived as a result of reading those warnings. I worked around some nasty chemicals once and if it weren’t for the Material Safety Data Sheets (is this another example of what one forum member sarcastically described as “your tax dollars at work”?) the management would have been able to tell us everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. ? I know of one brilliant electronics engineer (numerous patents) who drilled through a stud into a live wire while holding an electric drill in his hand in a crawl space. He was electrocuted. It shouldn’t have happened. A series of highly unlikely events had to all be present simultaneously for it to happen. I can easily see myself in the same circumstances. I have an old very powerful ?” drill from the 1950s that is all metal. The case may or may not be properly grounded – I never checked. I have drilled into walls while kneeling on the earth under my house just like the dead electronics engineer. ? During a recent remodel I saw my contractor nailing 1 ?” x 3” steel plates onto our wall studs. When I asked what he was doing he explained it was code to put these plates anywhere someone could possibly drill through the stud into a wire that was snaked through the stud. That was a building code requirement that increased the cost of my house and I’m sure there are plenty of contractors that were against it saying sarcastically: “Your tax dollars at work”. It is easy to take pot shots when you don’t understand the purpose of the regulations. ? That engineer would probably be alive today if his house had those plates on the studs. He is not a candidate for a Darwin Award. Just the opposite, he designed a fair amount of the oscilloscope technology we all love. Some laws were written to protect us from making a fatal mistake even if we don’t think we need their protection. ? Dennis ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: TekScopes@... [mailto:TekScopes@...] On Behalf Of Jim
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 11:46 AM
To: TekScopes@...
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] OT: WD40 depressing experience?
It doesn't hurt for newbies to be shown, with a live-fire demonstration, why the bang stick is so named. ?it's something to do with junky old HV caps in the few uF range. "That was as loud as a gunshot. ?You know what a real gunshot can do, right? ?HV will make you just as dead." Well, not always, but we've all made the mistake of getting across HV. ?Most of us more than once. ?However, all of us still here have lived to tell about it :) ?
From: Craig Sawyers <c.sawyers@...>
To: TekScopes@...
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 1:21 PM
Subject: RE: [TekScopes] OT: WD40 depressing experience
>? I was shown the transmitter, the circuit breakers, the warning
> stickers, the dead man's bars, the shorting sticks, etc. and expected to
carry
> on with due respect for my own health and safety.
>
> Health and safety are good things but being treated like I am intelligent
and
> competent are also desirable activities.
Absolutely.? I learnt the SIDE rule - Switch off (duur...), Isolate (from
incoming power), Dump (residual charge) and Earth (with a stick).? It isn't
rocket science - most people have only to be shown how to do it once, and
then left to get on with it.
Craig
|
Dennis and All -
Common sense and what I will term legitimate safety warnings are
in fact wise and useful.
Where we go off the deep end is with such "Required" warnings as
not to use your hair dryer in the shower and/or tub. Do not place
your hands/feet under a lawn more that is running. There are
literally hundreds and even thousands of these sort of warnings,
mandated by lawyers because some dim bulb did not have the common
sense NOT to use a hair dryer in the tub.
It doesn't take eight pages to warn you not to spray WD-40 in your
eyes, mouth, nose, or any other opening in your body, or to not
spray it on an open flame, or not to spay it in a bag and then
breath in the fumes, etc.
There comes a point where the individual needs to be responsible
for their own safety and well being and not sue the manufacturer
because they or a departed love one was an idiot when it comes to
common sense.
Steve
On 02/25/2013 17:49, Dennis Tillman wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
Some very
intelligent engineers have died as a result of an
unexpected encounter with HV due to no fault of their
own. They aren’t here to speak in favor of the 8 pages
of warnings that accompanied the can of WD40 that was
derided in the first email of this thread. We have no
way of knowing if one of those engineers might have
lived as a result of reading those warnings. I worked
around some nasty chemicals once and if it weren’t for
the Material Safety Data Sheets (is this another
example of what one forum member sarcastically
described as “your tax dollars at work”?) the
management would have been able to tell us everything
was fine and there was nothing to worry about.
?
I know of one
brilliant electronics engineer (numerous patents) who
drilled through a stud into a live wire while holding
an electric drill in his hand in a crawl space. He was
electrocuted. It shouldn’t have happened. A series of
highly unlikely events had to all be present
simultaneously for it to happen. I can easily see
myself in the same circumstances. I have an old very
powerful ?” drill from the 1950s that is all metal.
The case may or may not be properly grounded – I never
checked. I have drilled into walls while kneeling on
the earth under my house just like the dead
electronics engineer.
?
During a recent
remodel I saw my contractor nailing 1 ?” x 3” steel
plates onto our wall studs. When I asked what he was
doing he explained it was code to put these plates
anywhere someone could possibly drill through the stud
into a wire that was snaked through the stud. That was
a building code requirement that increased the cost of
my house and I’m sure there are plenty of contractors
that were against it saying sarcastically: “Your tax
dollars at work”. It is easy to take pot shots when
you don’t understand the purpose of the regulations.
?
That engineer
would probably be alive today if his house had those
plates on the studs. He is not a candidate for a
Darwin Award. Just the opposite, he designed a fair
amount of the oscilloscope technology we all love.
Some laws were written to protect us from making a
fatal mistake even if we don’t think we need their
protection.
?
Dennis
?
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Shirley Dulcey KE1L