rings and wedding bands in the shop safe?
caryhson1
| Posted in General Discussion on
I have worn my wedding band many times in the shop. The gold was getting scratched and covered in glue. My solution was to quit wearing it in the shop. My wife’s solution was to find my something more durable and less valuable. The jeweler suggested carbide but warned about the dangers of wearing rings and using machines. My wife bought the ring and said, “Don’t lose a finger.” I’ve racked my brain to try and come up with a scenario where a ring would get caught on something, but can’t think of any.
Are they safe to wear in a woodshop?
Replies
I never wear mine in the shop. The roofers that I know don't wear theirs while roofing, since if they slip and grab onto something with a ring hand, the ring can get stuck. It could mean that in addition to a nasty scrape, slide and fall they end up with one less finger.
I imagine the same thing could happen in the shop. What if you get your hand stuck between fence and workpiece, or something like that, and the ring prevents you from pulling your hand back? Yeah, you should be safe at all times, but don't let a piece of jewelry turn stupid into stupid+hospital.
orko
Rings, no matter what the material, are potentially dangerous. In addition to getting caught on something they can get bent and crushed if you finger is in an area where something slips of falls on your hand. Your hand or finger will "snap" back but the crushed ring will not.
In the tools shop I ran, we, and OSHA, required that workers not wear rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc.
Are rings safe in the shop? Of course they are . . . when worn in either a pocket or in the nose. ;-)
They're perfectly safe. The biggest danger is a blister, which will turn into a callous.
Only wedding rings.
And the time to warn men about the danger is before the wedding.
(just kidding, dear... here, let me take out the trash.)
When I was a kid back in the 40s we had a neighbor who lost a finger while jumping onto the back of a moving truck when a ring snagged on something and he fell.
Wearing rings in the shop
I never wear mine when in the shop, working w/ power or hand tools. I also remove it when I am at work (Firefighter) or when engaged in any activity where it could catch on something.
If you are still unsure, google / images "finger degloving injury". WARNING; The images are very graphic.
Not just dangerous in the shop
Rings have been known to get caught on something, which then causes the stripping of the finger's flesh off the bone - worse than an amputation, since there's nothing the doctors can do to restore the finger. Neither my wife nor I bother with one, given we both engage in outdoor activites (hiking, horseback riding, etc.), and hobbies that might cause a ring to get jammed on something.
I know in some areas of the country, not wearing a ring is practically considered equivalent to infidelity, though. What my sister-in-law did with hers is have a jeweler cut a fine "breakaway" joint inthe ring, with the idea that it would open up and prevent the finger from getting caught if it was subjected to alot of force.
I don't...
My boss at an electronics company was wearing his when a 1500 volt dc power supply arced over to it. After he woke up about 6 feet away from where he started, his wife had it turned into an earring when he refused to wear it to work anymore.
A friend of my dad's lost a finger jumping out of a parked C-130 when he grabbed the door frame and his ring got caught on something.
I know they're not entirely related, I just find it easier to put in my pocket when I'm in the shop.
I saw a young fireman peel the meat off his finger at a drill. He was on top of the pump truck checking the tank as it was being filled with water. He went to jump down and his class ring caught on a rope hook before his feet got to the ground. Took all the meat off his finger leaving just the bone, nasty.
Being the best conductor, gold will conduct electricity as well as heat and cold. An electrician friend zapped himself with his wedding ring. I froze my ring finger working outside on a very cold day and didn't realize it until I removed my glove and saw my finger was purple and had no feeling. The pain was intense as the finger thawed out. My gold band is a thick one.
When it comes to safety, the rules are written in response to accidents that have happened frequently enough to warrant a rule. Just because you can't imagine a scenario where you might catch your ring isn't an excuse for not following the rules. Often safety rules are for that one time in a million that something odd can happen. You don't know when or what will happen, that's why you always take the precautions. Electricity, in particular, is very dangerous since it can kill you. You can survive some horrendous accidents but when your heart stops, you don't often come back. Lose the ring while working. If nothing else, it will keep you from dinging it up.
NO Rings
I've ovaled a ring closing a 24" vater valve in a power house and pealed back the pad on my ring finger another time. Now, NO rings when working. !!!!!!!!!!!
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