We think we are, but some people think we take it too far. How safety conscious are you? For example, do you use a ladder or sports equipment without a spotter? Do you turn off the house power to work on electrical outlets and the like? Do you pick up pointed tools from the ground if you are working in the yard to protect pets/children/clumsy people? Do you use the safety strap if you play Wii? Always fasten your seatbelt? Wear shoes, eye and ear protection to mow the lawn or use power tools?
Those are just the examples I can think of offhand, but if you have others, feel free to throw them in. Carefully, of course!
I don't think I am.
I do always wear my seatbelt and a helmet when riding my bike, but it ends there.
I'm generally pretty lax on all the other stuff - I mow the lawn with flip-flops, for example. I swim after drinking alcohol. Throw my tools around the lawn.
Mostly.
Seatbelt basically always. (State law, but also because years before the law I was in a head-on collision with a drunk, no seatbelt, VERY lucky)
DH will hold the ladder for me when I ask or if he knows I am doing something. Don't always ask.
Usually unplug small appliances when cleaning them. Also usually unplug most stuff when we leave on vacation.
Try not to have much growing around doors or windows for safety (and not much will grow that tall in shade.)
I don't tend to wear shoes while cooking. Not real smart when I tend to drop knives. SIGH.
The biggest, non-safety thing that I do seems to be talking to strangers. Yup, never quite learned the stranger danger thing.
Only have had a couple issues. One was some very drunk/high guy who called me names in the grocery store (He started it!), and I just said that "I have been called worse by better" Well! He wasn't so out of it to know that I basically called him an idiot. He hung around for about 5 minutes waiting to catch us outside. (Store clerks were Quite nice and offered to walk out with us.)
Mostly.
YES -- seat belt, proper footwear for type of work, eye protection when power-sawing, hair in pony tail when around rapidly spinning machinery, defensive driving, taking care on rain-slick surfaces, etc.
NO -- spotter for ladder (unless it's at a high angle), rubber gloves when cleaning things at least until I notice the tingling, and in DH's case no gloves when working with pesticides (which MUST end, as his FIL's cancer, caused by Ag chemicals, has now spread to his lungs, despite getting his arm hacked off in two places to stay ahead of it).
id say im 50/50 on the safety thing. Yeah, i always wear a seatbelt, partly because of the "Click it or Ticket" law, but also still remember the whole "room to live" videos in drivers ed etc. I will climb ladders with no spotter, work with saws, or other power tools without proper eye protections, or gloves etc. i do always make sure my hair is pulled back in a pony tail just to be sure it doesnt get wrapped around something and pull me in, rofl. all in all, if it could kill me, i take some safety precautions, if the worst im gonna get is a cut, bruise, but nothing too damaging, i take my chances.
Oh yeah, I forgot the biggest one: I pick up hitchhikers. Mostly all the ones I see, except after dark and REALLY SUPER scary looking people.
You know, CNK, I sometimes think I would like to try that, just to defy convention!
Yep, I do most safety things except maybe the ladder, but then again I was trained on how to set up a ladder and anchor myself properly on a high ladder (leg lock) while fully bunked out in firefighting gear and airpack. But then again I don't ever have a reason to climb that type of ladder anymore, mostly just step ladders.
So yes, I'm pretty safety conscious.
Yes. My view is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
When I ride my Vespa, I wear most of the safety gear. I do have a hard time wearing full-face helmets without getting extreme neck pain and migraines, so I usually wear my 3/4 helmet instead, and I wear eye protection under the face shield. I wear riding gloves and boots, too. I would wear jeans that have armor and dragging protection, but I can't find them in my size as they are pretty much made for men. When I do find women's gear, it doesn't fit me, like most clothing anyway. But I have an armored jacket, and wear that every time. When I lived in Tulsa, I belonged to a women's scooter group, and they rarely ever wore much protection. They'd go out in short-shorts and flip flops, no gloves, which is dumb as hell. I'd be the only one geared up, but because it's so hot there I couldn't ride about 6 months a year.
I think I'm pretty safety concious, although other people might argue with that. I travel alone a lot and talk to strangers and sleep in my van in sketchy neighbourhoods (HA) -- but I will say this: I read a book year ago called "The Gift of Fear" that really really really taught me how to trust my intuition. If I feel the least bit 'off', I get the hell out the situation. I am excellent at acting if I feel I need to.
I tend to be a little bit overprepared for things, because I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I maintain my vehicle, wear my seatbelt, drive VERY defensively... I don't put myself in situations where I would be at the mercy of someone else (ie drunk driver) and I always have a plan B. I can be a bit sloppy or haphazard when I'm doing fix-it projects and I've been known to hurt myself opening a computer case, for example. Because I'm so fearless, I do tend to climb ladders, get up on desks etc. to do my job (reset switches at ceiling height, etc.) without a spotter, or sometimes even a proper ladder.
I don't worry, though.
Jo -- that book is GREAT, and should be required reading!
For everyone who hasn't read it -- "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker.
PrairieGirl Wrote:Jo -- that book is GREAT, and should be required reading!
For everyone who hasn't read it -- "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker.
The concept that struck me in the book was this: He says that humans are the only animal who have been conditioned to believe what they have been taught instead of to believe what they see. For instance, you are TAUGHT that your daddy or your boyfriend or husband would never hurt you. You've be TAUGHT that the black guy lurking in the alley is probably a rapist and going to kill you.
Never mind that statistics show the vast majority of women who are raped and murdered are raped and murdered by their boyfriends or spouses. Molestations occur by the father most of the time, not a man on the street.
When people put aside the notions they were raised with and get in touch with their OWN intuition, they are rarely led astray. I travelled for four months, living in a van, and I only ever once felt a little creeped out (in a gas station parking lot in Oklahoma) and I just moved the van. It was no big deal, and there was nothing specific to lead me to believe there would be trouble, but I just felt... off. So I trusted that and moved along.
I have excellent intuition now. And I trust it.
I'm probably fearless about nearly the same things and safety-conscious about the same as Jo. I often travel on my own, and I have never had any troubles. I'm not talking about resorts either, I go to 'local' places on my own (Ecuador, Zanzibar, Mexico, Europe). I enjoy myself, but I also trust my intuition and - while I can't prove a negative - I feel like that has probably saved me from trouble more than once.
Around the home I'm about the same as Eddy and Jo and others... if it likely won't kill me then I'm more lax. I have bumps and scrapes as a result, but nothing serious. I always wear a seatbelt, to the point where if I'm travelling in a country that doesn't have them I almost feel naked! This is possibly a Canadian thing, as I know many friends feel the same way and always 'buckle up'.
eslbee Wrote:For example, do you use a ladder or sports equipment without a spotter?
I don't use ladders. I don't think I've ever used a spotter for sports equipment unless it was my first time at the gym and an employee was showing me how the machines worked.
eslbee Wrote:Do you turn off the house power to work on electrical outlets and the like?
LOL. I am not an electrician and would never work on an electrical outlet.
eslbee Wrote:Do you pick up pointed tools from the ground if you are working in the yard to protect pets/children/clumsy people?
I don't use pointed tools in the yard. In fact, I stay out of the yard as much as possible because it's a mosquito breeding ground.
eslbee Wrote:Do you use the safety strap if you play Wii?
I don't own or play a Wii. I've only been on one once in my life at a friend's house and I don't recall ever seeing a strap.
eslbee Wrote:Always fasten your seatbelt?
YES! Finally, something that is actually relevant to my life.
eslbee Wrote:Wear shoes, eye and ear protection to mow the lawn or use power tools?
I haven't mowed the lawn since I was a kid. And I leave the power tools to DH.
I guess I lead a very safe life because I don't do manual labor.
Jo Wrote:The concept that struck me in the book was this: He says that humans are the only animal who have been conditioned to believe what they have been taught instead of to believe what they see.
...
When people put aside the notions they were raised with and get in touch with their OWN intuition, they are rarely led astray.
I agree with this. From my experience I've found that family is a hell of a lot more dangerous because we're taught that family is the most important thing and yet they are much more likely to do things to you. It's like a quote I read once. The reason family is so good at pushing your buttons is because they are the ones who installed them.
I also agree with following your instincts. In college there was a 7-11 that was relatively close to campus and from where I lived there was an alley that cut the trip in half when walking so naturally I took the shortcut to go there. I bought my snacks and when I went back something felt wrong. It was almost like a voice was telling me not to go through the alley. In fact it was like a force physically pushed me away from the alley. I went the long way and wasn't happy.
Next day someone left a newspaper in the lounge and I read the police blotter. It turns out that another student had taken the shortcut and gotten mugged. That could have been me.
Some good advice comes from my coast guard time (and it applies from the navy as well) - keep your head on a swivel. Situational awareness.
I'm pretty safety conscious, I suppose.
- I'm scared to death of ladders and won't use them.
- Oh God yes, do I power down the whole house before working on something electrical.
- I always pick up sharp tools because I'm clumsy and will stab myself with them. Plus, my yard is full of cute aminals that I don't want getting hurt!
- I always wear my seatbelt. I've seen too many horrifying accidents in my day (trust me, death is NOT the worst thing that can happen in an accident) to ever think of not wearing one. I'm always shocked by people that don't.
- I wear eye and ear protection if I'm working with power tools because they're just so loud and I'm afraid of stuff flying up in my eyes. I grew up around lots of manual laborers, and they always did the same thing, so I just kind of adopted it from them.
I also check the back seat of my car whenever I get in it (especially at night) because a former coworker was attacked by someone who got into hers. Fortunately, my car only has two doors and I don't see how you can fit a normal-size human being in the back, so it's easy to check. And if I'm walking back to my car at night in a place that's shady or not-too-well-lit, I carry my keys like a knife in my hand.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but it only takes a fraction of a second to do, and it could save me from some pretty frightening situations.
When I explore abandoned buildings, I always do a "drive-thru" first, which is when I drive around the area the building is in to get an idea of what kind of area it is. If I sense that it's too dangerous (I don't really give a crap about "statistics"...I trust my gut), I won't go there. I also tell at least two other people where I'm going and when I plan on getting back. I go online and make sure I know where the nearest hospital or urgent care center is in case I get hurt or need a tetanus shot or whatever. I keep my health in mind when picking places to go (the reason I can't go to Centralia is because of the high amount of gases in the air, which probably wouldn't bother anyone else, but I won't chance it with my health problems). I test the floors and stairs to make sure they'll support my weight before just running up them. And if I even think I hear other people, I'm gone. They could be other explorers, but they could also be gangbangers or drug dealers. I don't stick around to find out.
So yeah, I'm pretty safe. XD
Nadleeh, you sound as safe as they come!
What do you mean about exploring abandoned buildings? That sounds interesting. Like urban spelunking or something.
Nadleeh Wrote:Centralia
It's interesting you mentioned Centralia because my hometown was only a few minutes away from me.