Death involving splitting wedge and sledge...

[shane]

You guys are hitting on (pardon pun) two things my high school ag/shop teacher used to preach about back in the 80's. Never hit two hammers together and always keep wedges and chisels dressed.

Also, I never dreamed about being able to bleed out so quick until one day it almost happened to a concrete subcontractor on a job. He was stepping across one of his forms that was held in place by a big metal rod/pin. The pin was mushroomed from years of being hammered into the ground. He accidentally brush his leg against the sharp pin and cut his calf. He just about bled to death in a matter of minutes. He was able to get to a close by hospital.

 

[PILOON]

You'll notice that cold chissels and punches are always ground somewhat tapered at the striking face!
That's how you should grind or 'dress' them to prevent flying chips.
Simply periodically hold them to a grinding wheel or disk and spin the tool to grind off the mushroom edges.

 

[slowzuki]

Chisels are the usual problem with flying mushroom pieces. I know health and safety look for that.

When ever I'm chainsawing I keep something to make a tourniquet, never thought of it while splitting although I often wear my saw pants with the kevlar while splitting.

 

[CBW1999]

A lot of good talk about tool maintenance to prevent injury, but we all know that no matter what we do- "Murphy's law" will come into play.

Several good examples of someone bleeding, but no mention of anyone having a first aid kit with them. We invest thousands of dollars into our equipment, but seldom think that maybe 5 dollars worth of bandaging material would save a life! Severe blood loss does happen quickly, but applying direct pressure, even with your hand will help slow and most likely stop bleeding.

...OK so call me a Zealot! In the real world I am an EMS Field Supervisor for an Ambulance Service. So, I have Tons of supplies, equipment etc with me or around me all the time. I also have the direct experience of seeing both sides of how this scenario may play out.

I would encourage everyone to make the investment in a simple first aid kit. Nothing elaborate, just some gauze pads, roller gauze and triangular bandages (cravats) maybe even some band aids (ok...yes I have band aids and no- i don't stop to use them....on myself at least). Stuff it in a quart size freezer bag and presto!- The ability to save a life.

All of this stuff can be bought at the local drug store, the few minutes and few dollars are well worth it.

 

[DWCox]

A lot of good talk about tool maintenance to prevent injury, but we all know that no matter what we do- "Murphy's law" will come into play.

Several good examples of someone bleeding, but no mention of anyone having a first aid kit with them. We invest thousands of dollars into our equipment, but seldom think that maybe 5 dollars worth of bandaging material would save a life! Severe blood loss does happen quickly, but applying direct pressure, even with your hand will help slow and most likely stop bleeding.

...OK so call me a Zealot! In the real world I am an EMS Field Supervisor for an Ambulance Service. So, I have Tons of supplies, equipment etc with me or around me all the time. I also have the direct experience of seeing both sides of how this scenario may play out.

I would encourage everyone to make the investment in a simple first aid kit. Nothing elaborate, just some gauze pads, roller gauze and triangular bandages (cravats) maybe even some band aids (ok...yes I have band aids and no- i don't stop to use them....on myself at least). Stuff it in a quart size freezer bag and presto!- The ability to save a life.

All of this stuff can be bought at the local drug store, the few minutes and few dollars are well worth it.

That's a really good idea.

 

[peterc38]

I happened to read of an unusual accident involving a death of a guy splitting wood in his yard. It was in the Bangor (Maine) Daily News maybe a month back. He was hitting the steel wedge with a sledge and a piece flew off and hit the artery in his leg that matters. After he tried to run back to the house, he bled out and died on the lawn.
What is odd is that I saw something similar 40 years earlier when a friend and I were splitting wood. He got a piece of shrapnel in his leg, had it surgically removed and has problems to this day. Further, I saw the shrapnel thing again recently.
Having heated with wood in Maine for 25+ years I have cut and split maybe 300 to 400 cords of wood and a lot of it invloved a sledge and steel wedge. Many a piece of "shrapnel" flew off.
Now, I no longer use much wood but if I did would stick to plan "B" and find a different way to tempt the fate that follows us all.
Just offering this in hope of saving someone some agony.

Here is a link to the story.

Monticello man killed in wood splitting accident - Bangor Daily News

 

[gumper48]

Several years ago a hunting buddys dad, an older gentleman was working on his front porch and had wired the blade guard back on the skil saw to cut some boards. After a cut he felt dizzy, they guess, and sat down on a step with the saw still juiced, the saw landed in the most logical place, his lap, cut the major artery. His wife was close by and saw him sit down, they live about 35 minutes from and towns, wasn't much she could do but watch.
Lord help us.

keith

 

[Soundguy]

Makes me want to wear my chainsaw chaps when splitting wood.

( yes.. we use a lil wood here in florida.. though not much.. )

soundguy

 

[Conservation]

My grandfather was principal of a small school many years ago. He was hanging a picture after basketball practice (he was the coach too). It was a metal frame, and one of the kids was helping. The frame suddenly fell apart, and swiped across his jugular, severing it. He stuffed a nearby rag into the wound and gave his car keys to the kid to drive him to the hospital. The kid proptly passed out. He took back the keys, drove himself to the hospital, and spent a lot of time there recovering after surgery. This was before the time of common transfusions, so the recovery was many months. I had heard this story a bunch of times, and thought it was exatuarated. Then I met the guy who passed out. He said it was spot on.
I never knew about the mushroomed heads having to be dressed. Learned something today here!

 

[sixdogs]

With the talk of first aid here I'll mention I had a close call about 20 years ago in rural Maine. I jumped off the tractor (1987 Ford 2110) and caught my leg on the loader frame. Tore a big, and I mean big gash in my leg and blood was everywhere.
When you have to think fast, you do and I used duct tape to hold everything together until my daughter could get me to the clinic.
Not sure about duct tape but the doc said he was sure glad I used it. I now try to have duct tape handy in the barn just in case.