Drill Safety Incident / power cord safety

[Arry]

I am still shaking as I type this.

Was using my electric drill with a lambswool buffer on the end when somehow power cord got entagled...

It all happened so quickly so I really don't know how I did it.

Thankfully I have RCD protection on the powerpoint...

Photos attached.....geez I have learnt my lesson now.....don't even take my drill for granted !

[Carry Pine]

Lucky boy.
And that's one thing they don't tell you in the instuction manual.
Thanks for sharing. You may have saved someone else.

Graham

[metester]

I had a similar experience with a circ saw where I shaved the power cord whilst cutting up some panels for the garbage run. Luckily for me my house safety switch tripped. Since then I have been super careful. It is like the power tool gods sent a message as a first and final warning....

[Bob38S]

Never seen, heard of or thought about before - quite sobering - thanks.

[Manuka Jock]

I work with the power source behind me , and as an extra precaution , I loop the cord over the folding rule that I carry in my back pocket , that way it is always kept away from the workpiece.

[BobL]

Good to hear you are OK.

Chucks and exposed rotating shafts are much more dangerous than people think and their ability to grab power cords is just one of them . Something like a lambswool buffer or sanding disc is probably best not used on power drill anyway as there are safer appliances appliances around for this sort of thing.

BTW I notice you have left your TS blade unguarded (so do I sometimes ). I had nervous moment a year or so ago when my 20 something son was in the shed with me and he leaning up against the TS and just hit the start switch. Laying on the table were several pieces of steel bar literally mm away from the blade which I managed to grab before they vibed their way into the path of the blade.

I do have a chunky (35 mm thick) piece of melamine with a full height full kerf length cut that I pop over the top of the blade when the saw is not in use but I don't always remember to do so when I have finished.

[Dave50]

you'd go insane if you looked around at every machine/tool in the workshop, general house environ and suddenly became aware of every bit of potential it has to harm you or some other passing personage, count this one as a wake up call to treat the tools we posses with a modicum of respect and above all engage that rarely used item that we all possess but rarely think about.................... "common sense!,....... the tools we encounter dont care if it is flesh and bone or timber/ steel, it will do what it was designed to do or not designed to do regardless of whether we are in the way or not, given the correct environ and the permission it will kill you! simply think and watch what you are doing at all times or join the millions of others that didn't think it would!

[Master Splinter]

In my TAFE spraypainters course we were taught to keep the power cord from a buffer draped over your shoulder - this keeps it away from the spinning bits. Something long and off balance like a drill body isn't ideal for control, either - you can get polishers quite cheaply these days.

[Arry]

Cheers for the feedback..

I was telling the guys at work about it today.....I told the missus but she didn't seem too concerned..

I said to her "It could have electrocutred me"

She said "But it didn't so forget about it"

Wish I could think like that

In all honesty, I am super careful with my TS, Router, Planer, jointer etc but never thought about the drill.

Was telling my father-in-law last night and he told me last week he cut through the power cord with his hedge trimmer...scary stuff.

I guess sometimes it reminds us to take a few minutes to think about what we are doing and try and be as safe as possible.

I still cannot work out how I did it. I had the cable behind me but I think I must have swung around or something???

[nihilism]

BTW I notice you have left your TS blade unguarded (so do I sometimes ). I had nervous moment a year or so ago when my 20 something son was in the shed with me and he leaning up against the TS and just hit the start switch. Laying on the table were several pieces of steel bar literally mm away from the blade which I managed to grab before they vibed their way into the path of the blade.

I do have a chunky (35 mm thick) piece of melamine with a full height full kerf length cut that I pop over the top of the blade when the saw is not in use but I don't always remember to do so when I have finished.

I try to turn my machines off at the power point when i'm finnished just in case.

My Mrs thinks i'm strange because i told her i don't want anyone going in the shed when i'm not here but that sort of thing among other reasons is why.

My in laws have small children and one day my brother in law came into the shed to chat with me and the father in law and his 5ish year old son followed. Brother in law wasn't really paying attention to what his son was doing but i was and he still managed to hit his head on something before i could get to him. I'm just glad it wasn't something else, workshops can be dangerous places for the uninitiated.