A Two Minute Safety Tip
Several years ago, I read an article in a medical journal in which the authors had conducted a
study of workplace accidents. They tracked injuries through several emergency clinics and found the
time of accidents seemed to cluster in the 2 to 3 PM time period. In their conclusion they deduced
this might be a result of rising blood sugar levels following the noon meal affecting a worker's
attention.
Perhaps mornings would be the ideal time to get machining done and then switch to hand tool work,
sanding, finishing, sharpening, repairing, etc. Still, one would have to remain vigilant. Even
though you might not be using a tool that could sever a limb, a moment of inattention or poor
planning could result in screwing up a project. After reading the article, I became aware of a
slump in my own attentiveness at 2-3 in the afternoon in my working life I am a pharmacist. To
compensate, I made sure my lunch was high in fiber and relatively low carbohydrate with a modest
caffeine boost. My afternoon slump disappeared.
Lee Ohmart
Do you have a safety tip you always keep in mind when you are in the shop?
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