Submitted by Steve Winicker.
LAST WEEKENDS SHOP ACTIVITY
Another week has flown by. Last week we finished washing the engine jacket and hoped to work on cleaning up the firebox, but time ran out on us. Mary keeps working on getting the grease off the rods. I am sure she will allow someone to assist if you ask nice and are willing to do a good job. Most of the effort was spent on getting the head end power car stripped out and ready to install a generator. Other projects included gathering large amounts of scrap steel around the shop and getting it off to Omni Source. Also, the Eagle Scout project rehabbing the 765 cab stairs went forward at a good pace. They hope to finish the project next weekend.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Tentatively, weather permitting, we hope to unload coal from the 765 to make the inspection of the tender coal bunker possible. In addition, we need to get the firebrick and sweep down the remaining ash in the firebox. All heavy projects requiring some motivated individuals that are not afraid of a bit of dirt. Great opportunity to see how the 765 works. Some work on tightening up lube lines is also on the schedule headed up by Chuck Young.
SAFETY SENSE
PPE…Eye Protection
Every day an estimated 1,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces. No matter where we work, flying particles, dusts, splashes or flying objects are apt to expose us to potential eye injury. Fortunately, we can protect against these hazards by using the appropriate protective eyewear for our jobs.
A survey by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of about 1,000 minor eye injuries reveals how and why many on-the-job accidents occur:
- Not wearing eye protection. BLS reports that nearly three out of every five workers injured were not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident.
- Wearing the wrong kind of eye protection for the job. About 40 of the injured workers were wearing some form of eye protection when the accident occurred. These workers were most likely to be wearing eyeglasses with no side shields, though injuries among employees wearing full-cup or flat-fold side shields occurred, as well.
What Causes Eye Injuries?
- Flying particles. BLS found that almost 70% of the accidents studied resulted from flying or falling objects or sparks striking the eye. Injured workers estimated that nearly three-fifths of the objects were smaller than a pin head. Most of the particles were said to be traveling faster than a hand-thrown object when the accident occurred.
- Contact with chemicals caused one-fifth of the injuries.
Other accidents were caused by objects swinging from a fixed or attached position, like tree limbs, ropes, chains, or tools which were pulled into the eye while the worker was using them.
Society PPE rules and regulations are in place for a reason and that is your safety and the prevention of injuries. The recent video of re-railing the 765 pointed out that not everyone is taking the PPE rules seriously. There were many opportunities for injuries to occur and the fact that there weren’t any injuries was sheer luck. However, a safety program based upon luck is doomed to failure and that means someone is going to be injured or worse. Don’t let that injured person be YOU, follow the safety rules.
