Got reminded yesterday why it's a good idea to ALWAYS wear safety glasses in the shop

aarongough

aarongough

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Mar 12, 2013
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I got my tumbler delivered yesterday (will start a thread about that shortly) and it came with a bunch of industrial detergent. Big 5 gallon containers covered in warning labels, with warnings like:

CONTAINS: ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER
SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY

As I was reading these I was thinking, how on earth would anyone manage to get this stuff in their mouths? Well folks, never ask questions like that, even in your heads. Nature has a way of giving you a demonstration...

Shortly afterward I was decanting some of the detergent so I could mix it for the tumbler. When I set the container down I must have done so too quickly. A jet of detergent shot straight out of the vent hole and right into my face, it went right for my eyes and mouth.

Thankfully I was wearing my safety glasses so I didn't get any in my eyes, unfortunately I still got a good spray of this stuff on my lips and in my mouth (why my mouth was open, who knows...).

I dropped everything and ran to the tap to start rinsing my face and mouth. Got on the phone with Poison Control so they could tell me whether I should be thinking about heading to a hospital. Luckily they said that given the amount I was exposed to I could expect nothing more than an upset stomach.

Had it gotten in my eyes though I would have been looking at heading to the hospital so they could properly flush my eyes as apparently this stuff is not meant to be in your eyes (who would have guessed!).

So I thought I would share this a a gentle reminder to wear your safety glasses at all times, things always happen when you least expect it!

Also, make sure you have a first-aid kit and an eye wash station/kit in your shop. Both can be had for very reasonable prices, and might save you a world of pain one day.

Stay safe guys!
-Aaron
 
Man I know, it's that big blue container, right? That weird trick happens to me about every time I sit that thing down, it's like some sort of damn squirt gun.
 
Good point about the safety glasses, last year I was epoxying with my normal glasses on and as i pressed handles together...splat! somehow the epoxy got on the inside of my lens. Ive been wearing my safety glasses while epoxying ever since.
 
It's always good to be reminded, preferably by someone else's close call ;)

Seriously though, you're absolutely right Aaron. Danger never sleeps, and it has a way of waiting until you're off-guard to sneak up on you.
 
having an eye flush set up could be a good idea on an active shop considering metal clips, grinding dust, chemicals. face shield could be useful too.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Man I know, it's that big blue container, right? That weird trick happens to me about every time I sit that thing down, it's like some sort of damn squirt gun.
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Yep, that big blue container was the culprit! On the second attempt I opened the bigger cap and used a giant syringe to decant, wasn't going to tempt fate a second time!

timos- said:
Good point about the safety glasses, last year I was epoxying with my normal glasses on and as i pressed handles together...splat! somehow the epoxy got on the inside of my lens. Ive been wearing my safety glasses while epoxying ever since.
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Epoxy in the eyes sounds painful! Fun story: I once got gasoline in both eyes and my mouth while changing the lift pump in my friend's car... Gasoline is not nice in the eyes either!

james terrio said:
It's always good to be reminded, preferably by someone else's close call ;)

Seriously though, you're absolutely right Aaron. Danger never sleeps, and it has a way of waiting until you're off-guard to sneak up on you.
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If I could plan my accidents in advance it would make life much easier :P

Having safety glasses you like and are happy to wear is an important point too. The cheap ones really suck...

PT Doc said:
having an eye flush set up could be a good idea on an active shop considering metal clips, grinding dust, chemicals. face shield could be useful too.
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You can buy these squeeze bottle eye-wash stations that are pretty inexpensive. I have one for my shop, but I need to refill the saline for it. It's now at the top of my to-do list after yesterday!
 
Good on you for wearing safety glasses. Those a dust mask or respirator and a face shield are always handy to have around the garage. I like to wear goggles when working under the car too. Never know where or what will fall off under there!

BTW, do a search and you can find pumps for 5 gallon pails relatively cheap too, makes life a lot easier and safer.
 
dr_fosg8 said:
Good on you for wearing safety glasses. Those a dust mask or respirator and a face shield are always handy to have around the garage. I like to wear goggles when working under the car too. Never know where or what will fall off under there!

BTW, do a search and you can find pumps for 5 gallon pails relatively cheap too, makes life a lot easier and safer.
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Normally when I'm doing anything that generates dust I wear a North 5400 full-face respirator instead of safety glasses. It's much more comfortable than respirator/glasses/visor and I've never had it fog!

Thanks for the tip on the pump, I think that's a good idea.
 
I'm glad that wasn't more serious than it was, Aaron, and that you're OK. Very good description.....I had a good mental video going....slow motion effects and everything!
 
Ahh, the north 5400. Very nice unit there. I wear one of those at work from time to time. Mine has never fogged either.
 
samuraistuart said:
I'm glad that wasn't more serious than it was, Aaron, and that you're OK. Very good description.....I had a good mental video going....slow motion effects and everything!
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Thanks Stuart! Yeah I was worried for a minute, glad it turned out to be minor.
 
dr_fosg8 said:
Ahh, the north 5400. Very nice unit there. I wear one of those at work from time to time. Mine has never fogged either.
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It was a gift from a friend, I was initially skeptical but wouldn't hesitate to buy another one now if I had to.
 
Thanks for the reminder Aaron. I am glad you were not hurt. That convinced me I need some kind of eye wash station. Gotta shop for those to see what's out there.
I'll place it just beside my packets of Celox. :D
 
aarongough said:
Had it gotten in my eyes though I would have been looking at heading to the hospital so they could properly flush my eyes as apparently this stuff is not meant to be in your eyes (who would have guessed!).

-Aaron
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Well, you probably wouldn't have been looking much at all. ;)

Glad it wasn't serious.
 
aarongough said:
Had it gotten in my eyes though I would have been looking at heading to the hospital so they could properly flush my eyes as apparently this stuff is not meant to be in your eyes (who would have guessed!).

-Aaron
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Well, you probably wouldn't have been "looking" much at all. ;)

Glad it wasn't serious.
 
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Patrice Lemée;14043402 said:
Thanks for the reminder Aaron. I am glad you were not hurt. That convinced me I need some kind of eye wash station. Gotta shop for those to see what's out there.
I'll place it just beside my packets of Celox. :D
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I think Celox is a good thing to have. Hopefully it's never needed!
 
I had almost this exact thing happen to me, but without glasses.

When I was at my first job we used a LOT of 409. The standard spray bottles didn't cut it, so we found some special spray tops that would screw onto the big jugs.

We had this ding-dong working there for a little while, and he was too lazy to find one of the proper sprayers, so he just jammed in one of the ones for the smaller bottles, and taped the hell out of it.

I came by later and grabbed the jug, thinking the tape was just there to keep it from leaking, and not realizing it wasn't attached to the jug. It stayed on just long enough for me to get it off the table, and the open (full) jug dropped straight to the floor and shot a massive geyser of 409 into both eyes, my nose, mouth, etc.

I got chemical burns in my eyes, nose, and throat. I was almost completely blind for the first day, and partially blind for almost a week. The first three hours, I was in so much pain I was curled into a fetal position, crying without tears because my sinuses and tear ducts were so damaged.



I wear my safety glasses now, always.
 
Might I make the suggestion that a face shield is appropriate in these situations? Much more so than just safety glasses alone. They can be had for ~ $10. I would buy one before getting the eyewash station (though that would be right behind) ... ounce of prevention...
 
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