I paid a visit to my old friend, The Safety Geek, a couple of weeks ago. He was very busy working through his “honey do” list for Mother’s Day.
The Safety Geek was feeling a little overwhelmed. He had a lot of work to do outside now that the weather has been warming. He was organizing his tools and equipment, and thinking about how to get through his list of chores with minimal risk to his health.
The Safety Geek reminded me that Melanoma Monday was this month and that he always starts his outdoor chores by applying a generous amount of SPF 15 or higher sunscreen to his skin. During the spring, many people who have gotten out of the sunscreen habit because of bulky winter clothing often suffer sunburns on those first few warm days outside.
I was admiring my friend’s new table saw, which Mrs. Safety Geek got him for Christmas (apparently with ulterior motives vis a vis the aforementioned “honey do” list). It was equipped with SawStop, a fascinating new technology that stops the saw blade within 5 milliseconds of detecting contact with skin. The Safety Geek points out that there are over 12,000 annual saw-related injuries in the United States, most of which are preventable with this technology.
The Safety Geek congratulated me on my recent Herald article about hearing protection but felt like it didn’t go far enough. For instance, he pointed out, did I know that power tools, lawn mowers, trimmers, leaf blowers and other outdoor power equipment all operate at dangerous noise levels?
He bemoaned all the preventable hearing loss that results from inadequate hearing protection. He showed me his foam earplugs and bright orange ear muffs that not only reduce noise by a combined 30 decibels but also make him more visible to traffic when he is trimming his well-manicured lawn along the roadway.
Of course, as the Safety Geek pointed out, no discussion of hearing protection is complete without a similar discussion about eye protection. His neighbor, an eye doctor, was just telling him about all the preventable eye injuries – from scratches and cuts to foreign objects – that are related to yard work and minor home construction projects.
Why, The Safety Geek wants to know, is it so hard to remember to put on a pair of safety goggles before starting such activities? Not only will they help protect what is arguably your most valuable sense, but they may reduce exposure to pesky springtime eye allergens.
The Safety Geek mentioned, rather undiplomatically, that he had seen me in my yard last week trimming dead branches on a ladder with my chainsaw. He waved his finger back and forth. Where was the spotter to hold my ladder? Where was my helmet for head protection? And don’t even get him started about the chainsaw.
Somewhat embarrassed, I bid my friend goodbye, vowing to be more careful next time. As we parted, The Safety Geek downed an 8-ounce bottle of water, reminding me to stay well-hydrated whenever I’m working out in the heat.
Dr. Matthew A. Clark is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and pediatrics practicing at the Ute Mountain Health Center in Towaoc.
