Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mike150" data-source="post: 794928" data-attributes="member: 2287">In light of recent events, I began thinking about safety. Now I’m not a safety expert, but I’ve been able to stay safe most of my life. Safety practices apply to every endeavor, including photography. Always be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of the weather. Make sure all of your tools are functioning properly. If safety equipment is required, use it. Forgetting safety, even for a moment, can prove disastrous. My work often requires me to use various types of metal working machinery. I’ve been using these types of machines for almost 40 years. I’ve always tried to maintain a safe working environment. Safety Glasses, Work gloves, clean work area to mention a few.  Yesterday I violated one of the rules and paid the price. I had my safety glasses on. I had my work area clean. I had my gloves on. I was using one of the simplest of the machines, a Drill Press. My mistake was that I was not giving my work 100% of my attention. I was drilling mounting holes in some aluminum brackets I was making. The machine is very simple to operate. It’s almost second nature to me. As a result, I was thinking about an upcoming trip to photograph butterflies, and only half concentrating on my work. At this point, I must also add that my work gloves were beginning to fray, and I had been planning to order a new pair, but procrastination prevailed. Needless to say, one of the frayed parts of the gloves thumb hooked on a drill bit and my hand was pulled into the drill. I quickly hit the off button so I was spared severe of injury.  What did happen was the first joint of my thumb (closest to the nail) was bent backwards about 45 degrees beyond normal. Official diagnosis in the ER was “Dislocated, with resulting tendon damage”. I’m now scheduled for a visit with an orthopedic specialist on Tuesday. Needless to say, I will be without use of my left thumb for three or more weeks. I did try using my camera (with some difficulty). Having a metal splint on my thumb makes things difficult. With patience, I can get the job done, and I may still try the butterfly shoot. In the mean time, enjoy a couple of shots of my thumb. I took these last night. The thumb has now turned completely blue. It looks like it belongs on Papa Smurf.  [ATTACH]383282[/ATTACH][ATTACH]383281[/ATTACH]</blockquote>

Verification