Thread: teach kids about danger first

not wood related, but a good reminder for all. kids want to be invoved with what dad is up to. after you read this please teach what could happen, before you show them what you are doing. a local contracter was washing his truck on the first warm day of spring, his 10 year old son wanted to help, dad was scrubbing and he let junior rinse the truck with the pressure washer, all was going well dad on one side, the son on the other. well all the hard the work the 10 year old was thirsty, so he pointed the pressure washer at his face thinking he could get a drink as you would a garden hose. in an instant he cut and peeled the skin from the side of his nose to his ear, it spun his eye-ball backwards. he was rushed to hospital, drs. removed his eye, cleaned it up and put it back in place, no word on any permanent damage yet, he wiil have several operations at the plastic surgeons to reattach the skin damage, I still shiver, thinking about it. remember kids nad new employees don't read the instructions they rely on us to show them, so I always start with the consequences, or what can go wrong before you can do it right. I've been counting to 4 1/2 on my right hand for 30 years because i wasn't taught all that could happen with a planer. lets be careful out there, to many new stories on this site this week

Originally Posted by burlman

not wood related, but a good reminder for all. kids want to be invoved with what dad is up to. after you read this please teach what could happen, before you show them what you are doing. a local contracter was washing his truck on the first warm day of spring, his 10 year old son wanted to help, dad was scrubbing and he let junior rinse the truck with the pressure washer, all was going well dad on one side, the son on the other. well all the hard the work the 10 year old was thirsty, so he pointed the pressure washer at his face thinking he could get a drink as you would a garden hose. in an instant he cut and peeled the skin from the side of his nose to his ear, it spun his eye-ball backwards. he was rushed to hospital, drs. removed his eye, cleaned it up and put it back in place, no word on any permanent damage yet, he wiil have several operations at the plastic surgeons to reattach the skin damage, I still shiver, thinking about it. remember kids nad new employees don't read the instructions they rely on us to show them, so I always start with the consequences, or what can go wrong before you can do it right. I've been counting to 4 1/2 on my right hand for 30 years because i wasn't taught all that could happen with a planer. lets be careful out there, to many new stories on this site this week

burl,

Great post. I stumbled across this by accident, and you are 100% right. Usually, I do more reading than posting, but I'm not new to the rodeo. My family has been following your advice for well over 100 years and three generations. Having grown up on a farm, safety was always first. My granddad, my father and I have always had all of our digits, limbs and eyes because of such situational awareness and common sense that is created from this focus. If one is made aware of danger and consequence, there is a better chance that safety will always come first. I still remember my father teaching me how to run power equipment and agricultural machinery from the time I was about 5 years old, which was when one had to start working at the ranch....he always reminded me of one close call with my granddad when putting the pin in a drawbar hitch on a large tractor many years ago, and I still think of it every time I'm faced with a safety requirement.

Cheers mate!