[TheForge] - a safety issue?

[Ries Niemi]

Bob- I totally agree with you that it is a dangerous world out there, 
or even in the shop. And we all need to be responsible and not do 
stupid stuff. And I think tongs are not in need of safety improvements- 
common sense will suffice.

However, I dont think that just because older machines didnt have 
guards means that we dont need em. In the old days, employees were 
thought of as disposable, and crippled people were just discarded by 
society. When Little Giants were designed, there was no such thing as 
health insurance, social security,  or workers comp- accidents at the 
work place were entirely on the worker. The company did not pay a dime. 
And in the early part of the century, there was no problem getting a 
new, freshly immigrated employee if your old one cut off his finger. So 
why would a company pay extra for a safer machine, when it cost more 
and didnt improve the actual function of the machine.
I have met a lot of older cabinetmakers and ironworkers who were 
missing fingers, or had permanent injuries. The old days were a lot 
more dangerous on the jobsite than now.

I do not have a little giant, but if I did I would probably put some 
guards on it. And I generally leave the guards on my newer tools, and 
make my employees do likewise. In todays world, like it or not, 
somebody who works for you can make a stupid mistake, and YOU will pay.
My main defense, of course, is hiring people who actually think, and 
are aware of what they are doing. No substitute for that.

ries