Alcohol @ tools

Question . …over on you tube there is a “show” that promotes drinking alcohol while being around power tools….now they dont operate them while drinking but i think it sends the wrong message 

can’t fix stupid no matter how cool you are……

Well, i don’t see a major issue with it. You can be responsible and consume a low amount of alcohol. For example, I’m a major firearms enthusiast and carry a firearm 24/7. I can still enjoy an alcoholic beverage occasionally while carrying. Does this make me irresponsible? No. I know where my limits are and what makes me impaired. 1-2 drinks in an hour have no effect on my motor skills or reaction times. If done in moderation and with respect to the individual, I don’t see an issue with it.

Appreciate the input ,while i agree that you may know your limits ..and still be safe…(btw packing 24/7 is badass) i worry that people watching these shows may not use such judgement and only see two guys drinking beer handling tools and joking around…Alcohol on the jobsite and people coming in hungover is a problem…..imho

Framer joe wrote:

Appreciate the input ,while i agree that you may know your limits ..and still be safe…(btw packing 24/7 is badass) i worry that people watching these shows may not use such judgement and only see two guys drinking beer handling tools and joking around…Alcohol on the jobsite and people coming in hungover is a problem…..imho

Lmao

Speaking of warning labels and stupid, I just read one on a can of floor paint that stated; “Warning, slippery when wet”. One has to wonder about a law suit that may have caused that to be added onto the label.

(The warning was in the application section of the label).

RickyMcGrath wrote:

32 minutes ago, RickyMcGrath said:

Well, i don’t see a major issue with it. You can be responsible and consume a low amount of alcohol. For example, I’m a major firearms enthusiast and carry a firearm 24/7. I can still enjoy an alcoholic beverage occasionally while carrying. Does this make me irresponsible? No. I know where my limits are and what makes me impaired. 1-2 drinks in an hour have no effect on my motor skills or reaction times. If done in moderation and with respect to the individual, I don’t see an issue with it.

I think it is a grey area, and a touchy one at that, I have seen people get seriously injured from drinking …let’s say when they weren’t supposed to be…..

I’m a non drinker so my opinion will be different than someone that does drink. I don’t have nothing against people drinking but I do think there is a time and place….

I also have seen many people handle alcohol differently so because a drink or 2 an hour may be ok for 1 person it may not be for someone else. 

I worked in a huge machine shop fabrication shop for my entire career and there was zero tolerance for alcohol of any kind period, if it was ok in general to have a drink here and there responsibly it won’t be as safe……I know I wouldn’t want to be working with a guy running a 450 ton press with a bud light in one hand and the controls in the other…

JMG wrote:

Speaking of warning labels and stupid, I just read one on a can of floor paint that stated; “Warning, slippery when wet”. One has to wonder about a law suit that may have caused that to be added onto the label.

RickyMcGrath wrote:

Just now, RickyMcGrath said:

 

 

Yup… a friend of mine is a Texas DPS officer and we talk about similar stuff frequently. He says when they change the SOP and put out memos about things that should not be done, the question that often arises is “what dumba$$ actually did that to facilitate the need to make it a rule to not do it?”

Sort of like the guy that kicked his nail gun when he was angry, causing it to drive a nail into his foot. He lost his suit against the manufacturer partially due to all of the witness’ asked to testify for the manufacturer calling him a f$%#ing idiot for doing it.

It’s OK you can put one of their videos up here 😉

..

Which show? If your referring to tools on tap I’m a fan of that show, I like the laid back atmosphere and a little beer discussion as well, I don’t think this promotes drinking while using tools it’s just a cool little show they put on


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I agree with you guys….plus ” you cant fix stupid” ..i very much enjoy the TIA guys dan and eric tool reviews , i like .” real tool reviews” ..niether would advocate drinking around tools..drinking yes..both no…i think some shows are looking for more revenue ,big promo dollars and dont care about what they project…..feels like a touchy subject…im new to forums . .but been a framer for 34 years and deck co. 25 years…seen a lot of alcohol related severe injuries. …thanks

Frankly it doesn’t bother me at all. If a mistake is made the only people to be affected are the ones participating. It’s not like they’re producing commercial grade bombs and might take out the neighborhood. If they hurt themselves, it’s hilarious IMO. 

Survival of the fittest no longer exists, we need more of this stuff honestly. Maybe they’ll do an episode on testing wood chippers…

I enjoy a beer every now and then like most people, but I refrain from consumption when working with power tools because I’m liable to cut something off I may need later.  Sure don’t want the nickname “Stubby”.

Doesn’t bother me at all. I know not to drink a 6 pack and start welding or grinding. I also know I can handle drinking a light beer or two while building a deck on a summer afternoon. I’ve never drank on a jobsite, especially not a commercial jobsite. Safety on the clock is my top priority, and it spills over into my personal life. A beer or two in your free time doesn’t cut into safety too much, especially when building in your free time, for me at least, tends to be a lot slower and more casual than a paid job lol. I imagine the type of people who watch YouTube shows about tools tend to be experienced and have safety engrained into them by professional work anyway. 

Being in the safety business I can tell you I see a lot of accident where people get everything from a simple cut to being crushed to death.  Most accidents happen when people take short cut’s. Either because they are in a hurry, whether it’s a boss rushing them or themselves.  There’s a particular category or accidents from inexperienced workers and then workers that have been performing the task for a long time, usually a foreman or boss from my experience.  The two biggest enemies of working safe is complacency and getting in a hurry.  Just about every time I’ve been injured has been because I didn’t take the time to think the job thru. Easy mistakes caused me to do stupid stuff. I try to practice what I preach, but we all need reminders along the way. I would rather a co-worker remind me to put safety glasses on or to lock and tag out an electrical circuit than give me a ride to a hospital or worse, have to call 911.

metaljunkie wrote:

Being in the safety business I can tell you I see a lot of accident where people get everything from a simple cut to being crushed to death.  Most accidents happen when people take short cut’s. Either because they are in a hurry, whether it’s a boss rushing them or themselves.  There’s a particular category or accidents from inexperienced workers and then workers that have been performing the task for a long time, usually a foreman or boss from my experience.  The two biggest enemies of working safe is complacency and getting in a hurry.  Just about every time I’ve been injured has been because I didn’t take the time to think the job thru. Easy mistakes caused me to do stupid stuff. I try to practice what I preach, but we all need reminders along the way. I would rather a co-worker remind me to put safety glasses on or to lock and tag out an electrical circuit than give me a ride to a hospital or worse, have to call 911.

Me too JimboS1ice.  Seen more than I care to remember.

I love Tools on Tap. I also enjoy cold beer and power tools, but cocktails are for after the job is done. JMO.

Strangest one I remember was when a young man was using a large drill with a 3 foot piece of drill steel. The drill steel bent, came out of the drill and impaled the guy thru his left side. He walked about 200 feet when I found him. Acted like it was no big deal, of course he was in shock so I wrapped him, treated for shock and transported to an ambulance.  He lost 3 feet of his intestines and was off work for 8 months.  No alcohol or drugs were involved as far as I know, but he just wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing. Were all guilty of that.

I’m almost 22 and far as I know I have never had any alcohol. I may have had it cooked in food but other than that I haven’t had any.

Jronman wrote:

44 minutes ago, Jronman said:

I’m almost 22 and far as I know I have never had any alcohol. I may have had it cooked in food but other than that I haven’t had any.

Haven’t found it to be anything special myself. Maybe haven’t found my drink of choice yet LOL  I’m 29, I’ve had a few here and there, bought a 6 pack once, stuck it in the basement fridge, forgot about it for couple months lol

My wife likes her occasional glass of wine tho….

Hmmmm. I guess that’s why I bought a Sawstop.

I keep saying that I would not make a good alcoholic because I would forget to drink.

In all seriousness though, I personally prefer not to see it on the job, unless it’s the end of the day, the tools are packed, and work has stopped.

KnarlyCarl wrote:

12 hours ago, KnarlyCarl said:

It’s OK you can put one of their videos up here 😉

 

Video (YouTube)

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Those headlamps are dangerous when you’re drunk man.  Even more when you’re hungover.

All great comments ,appreciate them

Jronman wrote:

On 12/4/2016 at 9:20 PM, Jronman said:

I’m almost 22 and far as I know I have never had any alcohol. I may have had it cooked in food but other than that I haven’t had any.

I was 21 before I did any partying at all really. 

Now I’m 28, and I live in a van down by the river. 

Hugh Jass wrote:

1 minute ago, Hugh Jass said:

 

I was 21 before I did any partying at all really. 

 

Now I’m 28, and I live in a van down by the river. 

is it a chevy near a levy….lol

Hugh knows what’s up. People on the river are happy to give. 

Steady diet of government cheese guys. For anyone who is unaware, Matt Foley’s “Motivational Speaker” (Chris Farley) from SNL is one of the greatest comedy skits of all time. 

For me personally, drinking and power tools don’t mix.  

I know one guy that knew his limits, he was transported to the ER and the took off what was left of his right index finger.  He probably knew his limits, then after a while he granted an extension to those limits.

Table saw threw a piece of wood back at him.  Hit his knuckle so hard that the joint disappeared.  Never touched the blade.

Personally I wouldn’t do it as I am a safety instructor on the side, and best practice is not to (for any activity that requires attention), but if you can be responsible and stay with in moderation (as said earlier 1 drink and hour) then it can be done

But for a talk show I don’t see an issue but agree it gives the wrong interpretation.

I started watching these guys a while ago and the more I think about it the more I really think the show is not in any way provide a positive spot towards alcohol and using tools in the workplace or the wood shop. I love to make punch jokes about drinking but truthfully if I have two beers in the course of two weeks I am truly amazed. Truthfully, of course alcohol has no place at the workplace. I remember when I had to work weekends and I’d go to Applebee’s or some other restaurant during a weekday for lunch and there would be suits having “cocktails” and I used to think…geez that’s unprofessional and could t wrap my head around going back to work with alcohol on my breath! But this show is not like that. It’s a general discussion amongst colleagues and is by the very title….”Tools on Tap” designed to be a relaxed discussion about tools while in the safety of a home and not hanging off of scaffolding 120′ in the air or running a large cabinet saw in a noisy shop, having a cold tap! I work at a job where I’m sized up and criticized daily and am used to being a true professional at all times, even when off duty….you never know who’s watching! But I don’t think the nature of this show is a problem but yes, work is work and the consumption of alcohol or drugs, even prescribed drugs used according to prescription is never safe.

i know it’s an old post but just watched another episode and was like….nah…this is pretty darn good!

And that’s why I can’t drink at my job 😀

builditguy wrote:

On 2016-12-08 at 5:07 AM, builditguy said:

For me personally, drinking and power tools don’t mix.  

 

I know one guy that knew his limits, he was transported to the ER and the took off what was left of his right index finger.  He probably knew his limits, then after a while he granted an extension to those limits.

Table saw threw a piece of wood back at him.  Hit his knuckle so hard that the joint disappeared.  Never touched the blade.

Bit of an extreme example. A table saw will kill you stone sober. Operating one inebriated is like driving drunk; an accident waiting to happen. Table saws demand your complete attention and a safety-first mentality at the best of times. Sadly, enough tradesmen seem to be high-functioning alcoholics or drug addicts that this story doesn’t surprise me in the least. 

it is only common sense that drinking and power tools don’t mix, now before anyone gets their panties in a knot having a cold beer while operating their impact driver as they are fastening screws to a couple deck boards is different than opening your 17th beer while trying to cut 1/8″ strips off of a warped and twisted 3″ x 9″ oak board on your unstable table saw….the fellas in the youtube video are just chatting about tools more so than sucking back a couple 12 packs while demonstrating highly dangerous power tools.

I would agree with you.  An impact is nothing close to a spinning blade.  And you are right about the guys in the video.  

I also agree that a table saw is dangerous if you are sober.  The guy that lost a finger wasn’t really qualified to run a table saw, in my opinion.  Sober that is.  In that case, he was cutting a board the wrong way.  If he had been sober, maybe he wouldn’t have done it.  Impaired, he might have thought it was a good idea.

Either way, he was impaired and now he can only count to 9.

Just my opinion.  Other people can do what they want.  If you’re working for me, no alcohol.  Or any other drug for that matter.

Now that I’ve said that, it brings up another issue.  Prescription drugs.  I’ve know alot of guys that require pain killers daily.  Are they impaired?  I think so.  What about marijuana?  Obvious impairment, but if they have a prescription?

I think this will continue to be a bigger problem.  Alcohol is an easy one because you can smell it.   The guy that takes 4 Vicodin a day and gets to the point he lives his life on them, it tougher to spot.

Not to hijack a thread.  I’m going to move on from this one.

Impaired regardless of whether or not there’s an unintelligible scribbled note from a doctor saying you are supposed to take them. D&A policy on basically all commercial sites I’ve worked on is 0 tolerance and prescription opioids are a no-go if you want to run basically anything. 

if someone NEEDS a pain killer they shouldn’t be taking the pain killer because they shouldn’t be fixing the pain they should be fixing the cause of the pain. Sure if someone temporarily needs a pain killer they can go a route that doesn’t involve medical drugs. I’m sure there’s an all natural route that has no bad side effects.

Jronman wrote:

2 hours ago, Jronman said:

if someone NEEDS a pain killer they shouldn’t be taking the pain killer because they shouldn’t be fixing the pain they should be fixing the cause of the pain. Sure if someone temporarily needs a pain killer they can go a route that doesn’t involve medical drugs. I’m sure there’s an all natural route that has no bad side effects.

Unfortunately you can’t always fix the pain… I have a couple of issues that result in chronic pain pretty much 24/7. I generally tough it out, and I detest taking opiods. The non prescription items I take only somewhat control the issues and do not remove the pain itself. When the pain levels advance to a point where I can’t see or think straight, I sit down and drink a beer (or two…). It takes the edge off, but again, does not kill the pain entirely.

This is something that can only truly be understood when you enter into that twilight zone where the pain never completely leaves you alone, where the doctors tell you that they have no way of curing the issues and that all they can do is manage them… Some people give in and go for the drugs, and others reach a point where they off themselves (had a neighbor do that once).

Again, it is unfortunate, but you can’t always cure the problem that is causing the pain.

Agreed. Chronic pain sucks. Really saps the soul.

JMG wrote:

Unfortunately you can’t always fix the pain… I have a couple of issues that result in chronic pain pretty much 24/7. I generally tough it out, and I detest taking opiods. The non prescription items I take only somewhat control the issues and do not remove the pain itself. When the pain levels advance to a point where I can’t see or think straight, I sit down and drink a beer (or two…). It takes the edge off, but again, does not kill the pain entirely.

 

This is something that can only truly be understood when you enter into that twilight zone where the pain never completely leaves you alone, where the doctors tell you that they have no way of curing the issues and that all they can do is manage them… Some people give in and go for the drugs, and others reach a point where they off themselves (had a neighbor do that once).

 

Again, it is unfortunate, but you can’t always cure the problem that is causing the pain.

JMG wrote:

On 12/4/2016 at 11:54 AM, JMG said:

Speaking of warning labels and stupid, I just read one on a can of floor paint that stated; “Warning, slippery when wet”. One has to wonder about a law suit that may have caused that to be added onto the label.

 

(The warning was in the application section of the label).

Any Floor Paint that isn’t anti skid is slippery when wet Esp Oil paint. And yes there was a lawsuit lol

I am guilty of having a beer or two while working around the house and have been drinking in a few of my youtube videos *slaps hand* and don’t see anything wrong with it. I don’t drink ‘at work’, and I would never get shit faced and operate my table saw. But there is nothing quite like a cold beer on a hot day while working in the garden or on the house.

JimboS1ice wrote:

On 12/15/2016 at 6:43 PM, JimboS1ice said:

 

Yea that’s a bummer dude! Millions of people love day to day with chronic pain conditions that sometimes the fix doesn’t justify the results of the fix if that makes sense, sometimes a surgery to fix a pain can open a whole new can of worms


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I live with chronic pain, 14 operations to rebuild my left foot 3 more to try to cut nerves in the foot I agree I live with pain 24/7 one of the operations was a partial amputation and left me with phantom pain as well….

Also “Alcohol at tools”?

Tool Lover 69 wrote:

8 minutes ago, Tool Lover 69 said:

Also “Alcohol at tools”?

Hahaha

comp56 wrote:

19 hours ago, comp56 said:

I live with chronic pain, 14 operations to rebuild my left foot 3 more to try to cut nerves in the foot I agree I live with pain 24/7 one of the operations was a partial amputation and left me with phantom pain as well….

Damn Comp. I don’t think I’d have gone through all of that myself, I’m a totally pussy about pain and would have likely chosen the prosthetic route.