Collateral Damage

I do my best to be safe at the IP. I always wear steel-toe boots, safety glasses and today I purchased a respirator (I got tired of the cheapo dust masks which just directed the dust straight into my nose).

In this picture I'm properly equipped with my eye and lung protection, and I'm holding one of my favorite tools- the sawzall. A sawzall is like an electric knife, it has a big serrated blade which drives in and out very quickly. It'll cut through a wall faster than an electric knife can go through a turkey breast (my other favorite tools during the demolition phase include the sledgehammer, the crowbar and my cute little electric screwdriver).

Anyway, I've been pretty safety conscious. Well, most of the time, last week I used my circular saw over my head to trim some ceiling drywall. With the trigger guard locked out. And the blade cover locked out. I knew it was dangerous, but I made sure to be extra alert and careful.

Battle damage so far has included a scraped and bashed forearm when it wandered between the hammer and the prybar, and a bruised shin when the sledgehammer went clean through the cabinet and glanced against my leg. That cheesy little piece of wood in the way didn't do anything to slow down the blow, it splintered like a toothpick a few milliseconds before the hammer whacked me.

But both injuries have been very minor, no purple hearts here.