Doctor Secrets! My Real Life…

I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t find myself stitching somebody up for a job site cut, abrasion, impaling, burn e.t.c. What’s amazing to me is that EVERY time I’ve inquired, the mishap was predictable and preventable and NOT a freak accident.  EVERYTIME!  e.g. People not wearing gloves with saws and grinders, guys with nail guns wearing painters cotton gloves, gals grabbing hot trays without mitts or using cutting knives without protection, using high speed drills with bare hands, hammering without eye protection. Superman acts by Stupidman? The human hand and eye is no match for a hammer, saw, drill, butcher knife, nail gun, hot glue e.t.c.

What I also find interesting, is that these injuries are often by weekend warriors who know better e.g. the carpenter building a doll house on the weekend and figures “ah, why bother wearing gloves to use this table saw… oops!” The most common reasons cited to me for not taking precautions are being in too much of a rush to put on gear, and not wanting to loose sensation. Neither reason makes any sense to me. Being in such a rush that you end up injured and lose more time unable to work while you heal. And needing to feel a plank of wood as it’s skewered on a table saw – what’s so fuzzy that you need to feel?

By my reckon, freak unavoidable accidents are rare. Hand and eye work injuries, can be prevented by wearing appropriate gloves, glasses, and gowns.

This revelation came to me this weekend while I was mowing the lawn. I had in my ear plugs, donned my gloves, and flashed on protective nerdy glasses. Well I was chewing gum, and ran over a seed which spun out the mower, past my mouth, and punched me in the uvula – the little dingley thing at the back of your throat. A freak accident. And I wasn’t hurt. But if it had hit me in the eye, the story would be quit different, predictable, and preventable.

So if you want to be Superman the builder, you’ve got to put on the spandex gown, with gloves and glasses or that “S” on your chest will stand for silly.