A rant about safety on last week's show

Knowing Randy, he cares about people and is expressing that concern as a part of his nature not as a “safety cop”–I for one am thankful for his caring concern.
And, those of you you have “common sense” in spades did not get that from the genetic codes, nor is it innate or instinctive, it is a learned behavior and you should thank someone for TEACHING you all the common sense you have. Many children and adults do not get that training and tend to learn the hard way nearly every time. Thanks Randy, and thank all of you who taught me “common sense”.
And, in defense of Dairycat (as if he needs it), we all filter messages through our own experiences and attitudes and my guess is that he has had experiences with the OSHA and similar organizations or individuals that influence his attitude toward safety issues. I’ve had some seemingly ridiculous sessions with inspectors myself. Good day!

I know those blades are sharp and have cut myself on them but never thought about falling on it or others tripping over it. It’s usually far from me after I use it but uncovered. Now that you had to bring it up my blades will be covered after I use my auger or it’ll be bugging me all day. I can hear the “I told you so” already and I’m not even in the ER yet. Thanks Randy, hope to see you on the ice again soon.

It’s in the 60s here in Vegas and no ice on lake meade. Don’t know if I’m coming back for icefishing anymore.

Once you poor your favorite drink in a glass and look down at those floating cubes you’ll start wishing you were back.

milemark_714 wrote:

I look at exposed blades not being used just like leaving the T-handle in the chuck(lathe).

That hurts too!
Always cover the blades, it only takes a second…
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” – Will Rogers

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(No, I don’t know how/why the pic posted twice nor do I know how to remove it. Sorry.)

Randy Wieland wrote:

Guys, I enjoyed watching the crib fishing and the quality gills you were on. I just couldn’t get passed the near disaster Joel Nelson almost had.

As minor as it looked, having the blades of the auger just feet away along side you is asking for an ER trip. I gripe at guys about this all the time. Cover the blades or 2 times your height of separation. I have witnessed too many guys slipping, lean over, or reach back and catch those blades and cut a trip short. Joel, it’s not my intent to rip on ya. But when you slightly lost your balance with that big gill, it appears that your about to fall over into the auger blade. Glad it didn’t happen, but people do need to realize how easy those types of accidents happen

Whoa! Just saw this. Randy knows me all too well, I can be Dr. Destructo out there on the ice, and ice is…well…slippery. I didn’t take it the wrong way, and agree, that as stewards of the sport, we are held to a higher standard and should do things the “right” way whenever or wherever possible. While I don’t have pictures to prove it, I too have been cut by those blades, so I should know better. Randy was just looking out for my safety and the safety of others moving forward.

That said, as many have alluded to, one person’s “safe” is another person’s “look the hell out.” Where I grew up, I knew that things my dad could do on the farm were things I probably couldn’t get away with as a youngster. Was he setting a bad example by climbing up the side of the grain bin in the snow/rain while trying to hold a flashlight at the same time in high winds on a cold dark night? Maybe. Was he risking his life to check how full the bin was over what amounts to a few bushels of corn? Yeah, kind of.

Randy, knowing your background, I’m guessing back in the day you tight-roped your fair share of rafters without a tie-off, climbed some suspect scaffolding, and have slunk out over no-man’s land to pull out a toe-hold. I guess some risks we hold acceptable, while others not so much. In the end, it’s a straight judgment call, with the difference here being that it’s on TV and YouTube for all to see. More importantly, it’s how people learn and see what we feel is or is not acceptable. I can appreciate and understand the difference. I thank you for bringing it to my attention, as I don’t want anymore stitches! I’ll do a better job in trying to make sure both of us are safe out there, and that it comes through to the audience. Thanks again,

Joel

milemark_714 wrote:

I learned about this on Lake Winnebago 21 years ago.Lost my balance while sitting on a bucket.Put my left hand down,and got bit by someone’s auger.Happened in the blink of an eye.18 stitches to fix that one.I just wrapped up my hand good and kept fishing.

I look at exposed blades not being used just like leaving the T-handle in the chuck(lathe).

Yeah, I had a class with several lathes in it… That was great when you put a kid behind it and he leaves it in and you hear a bang and he goes and hides

One of my pet peeves.
I know friends got sick of me constantly telling them to put the covers back on when not in use.
so i just do it now if i see it.

Not sure if anybody mentioned it but dogs and kids running around are my biggest fear when i see it.

Props to Randy and Joel!

Kudos to Joel for his response. I myself would like a PM from anyone who cares about my safety, first and then we can discuss about how to potentially put it out over the internet for the world to have a lesson.

G, after all the years of of joel and I talking (phone, forums, and pm) I was confident joel knows I wasn’t looking to embarrass or make fun of him. Had I felt it would show Joel as any less of a person, yes it would have been a pm.

Joel’s right about all the stupid crap I’ve done. Crane ride to the top of trusses, walking iced wallplates, careless with nailguns, no safety glasses. Know I have a beaten up body with blown acl, aching back, torn up knees, screwed up tendons in my hands, busted tooth, couple ER trips to get crap taken out of my eyes, dozen stitches in the elbow after they stretched the skin back down my arm…and the list still continues. Now, I regret most of the times I thought I could take an easy way out. These aches and pains suck and I’ld hate to see anyone suffer like I do

I have met Joel a few times, he is a great guy and anybody who knows him, wouldn’t think any less of him. Maybe the Rant title doesn’t fit the post very well… and you are right, we are probably all guilty of doing stupid things and taking shortcuts that could potentially injure ourselves or others, I know have.

Never thought of that being the reason to cover up my auger after use, but after seeing those stitches and the cut I believe I will chose the safe route! Covering my auger blades!

Safety is a big thing but when things are going good and you are in the mood, everything seem to go a bit chaotic. I’m sure they were aware of it but everyone has been there and done that before.