What a tragedy.

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Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
I can remember when I was doing my apprenticeship, on day release at college we were shown a graphic film of an eye operation on someone who had been using a grinding wheel without wearing goggles. I spent most of it looking at the floor, but from then on I never went near a grinder without wearing safety goggles, despite one of the old hands at work telling me you don't need them because you can blink faster than the wheel will propel anything at your eye. They were his eyes and he could take all the risks he wanted with the, but I'm only ever going to have one pair of eyes and I wanted to look after them.

not only did he have superhuman reactions he must have had kevlar eyelids too
 

Fastpedaller

Über Member
Location
Norfolk
not only did he have superhuman reactions he must have had kevlar eyelids too
We had a local builder enlarging a window opening in our outside wall and putting in a new lintel. He took an angle grinder to the wall and cut it vertically, wearing no eye protection. I offered him a face shield, goggles (or indeed both if he wished), but he declined. I disappeared into the distance, not wishing to be a victim myself. I couldn't believe he'd been doing similar for at least 40 years without injury. :eek:
 
Location
Widnes
Being ex (land) SAR ive drummed it into Mrs D and Mini D that this is the sort of weather that kills the unwary. Why anyone would want to go near, never mind in, the water is beyond me.

Fingers crossed today's search has a positive result, but the odds are not good at all.

There used to be problems all the time where I grew up

The tides came in VERY fast and down channels that cut off the sandbank further out
and people would walk out there and try to get back the way they went out and not realise that
a) sand with water on it is soft
b) the water was moving much faster than they think

But it was kinda obvious if you lived near it
and especially if you sailed on it every week all summer

In summer it was OK as the weather was warm and dry
but in winter people would wander out there when it was raining and getting dark
and the volunteers would have to go out and try to find them in a fast running tide, low visibility and wind and waves and all that

at times we were just amazed they found them in the conditions
 

Alex321

Guru
Location
South Wales
Im not sure the Swiss one is an issue of building safety, as it seems likely the building was compliant with the applicable construction codes, but more a case of prattish behaviour with sparklers.

Not sparklers as we know them either, but "roman candle" type sparklers, more like flares than what we call sparklers.

And people on each other's shoulders with them.

But at the same time, the ceiling was covered with flammable sound absorbent material, which once it caught, went up within seconds. And apparently the place was licensed as a "lounge", rather than a nightclub, which has different fire regulations, and doesn't allow nearly as many people in (they would probably have been exceeding the allowed number even for a nightclub). And being in a basement, with only one stairway as fire exit, that would act as a chimney should never have been allowed.

The owners are being investigated for negligent manslaughter. The woman was in the place, and escaped with relatively minor burns, while her husband and co-owner was in one of the other two properties they own in the town.
 

MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
Personally, I am more shocked by this night club fire in Switzerland, I mean, oh my! What were they thinking??

All I can say is that the owners and some of the staff will be up for the high - jump and no mistake! 🙄

Yep that was truly shocking. I presume the wood in the ceiling would have been fireproofed at some point.... but how long does that stuff remain effective for?
 
Location
Widnes
I can remember when I was doing my apprenticeship, on day release at college we were shown a graphic film of an eye operation on someone who had been using a grinding wheel without wearing goggles. I spent most of it looking at the floor, but from then on I never went near a grinder without wearing safety goggles, despite one of the old hands at work telling me you don't need them because you can blink faster than the wheel will propel anything at your eye. They were his eyes and he could take all the risks he wanted with the, but I'm only ever going to have one pair of eyes and I wanted to look after them.

When I was a teacher I was part of the D&T department

for those of older generation - that means woodwork and metalwork thrown in with cooking and sewing
(sorry sorry sorry - I mean Domestic Science and Textiles - must get that right)

anyway - one of the woodwork/metalwork teachers had a Powerpoint that was shown to them before they started

It was made up of ACTUAL injuries caused to KIDS IN THIS SCHOOL

it was very graphic and pretty horrendous
but it did teacher them a lot about not being a prat around sharp metal things and powerful machines


BtW - he lied (teachers do that) - they were just images he got of the WWW


I was generally around when he showed it as they always had a male and female teacher at the back to comfort the kids who couldn;t cope with it!



On a more personal note - I took teh grandkids to a local old quarry yesterday

The oldest (female) like climbing and was messing around on the rocks all the time
the middle one (male and with some "problems")was investigating sticks and metal bars he found
the little one (male 5) was trying to climb the rocks but started with his
"I can;t do that it's too big for me"

but I got him up a couple of bits
and in the end he got halfway up the cliff to his sister with no help from me at all

He was a streak if wimp a mile wide so that was an amazing thing for him

we took some photos
apparently his Mum had kittens when she saw them while trying to say how brave he had been!!!

I did tell her that I had taken 3 kids out and brought 3 back
AND I was pretty sure they were the same ones

so I don;t know what she was worrying about!!!
 

sevenfourate

Devotee of OCD
For some context perhaps and to confirm earlier estimates; my Wife knows someone who swims in the sea multiple times a week through the year here. And went in at Lowestoft on Christmas Eve day. In passing she said one of the others with her that day had a thermometer in the sea and: “….it was less than 4c” 😳
 
Location
Widnes
I have been told time and time again that if you see someone in the water in trouble then look after yourself first
you are no use to them is you are also in trouble

but if it is your kid - or similar - that sensible thing would be damn difficult to do!
 

stephec

Squire
Location
Bolton
We're of a pre-H&S generation with a better direct appreciation of risk and danger. Remember the rather unpleasant films you got to watch at school that graphically showed kids coming unpleasantly a cropper in farmyard, building sites, railways, etc? No punches were pulled, they were serious stuff and the lesson was learned.

But they dont show such films in schools today. Probably not worth the grief it'd generate from parents, the guardian, and some children's charity that thinks not offending the poor little luvvies sensibilities is more important than the very fundamental life skill of staying alive.

Proper scary films, I always remember the one about messing near water that ended with a black cloak floating in a pond.
 

Jameshow

Guru
Awful if true.
I’m note sure what I would do in that situation? Would I go into freezing water for a stranger?
There was a man near me who died trying to rescue his dog from a frozen lake. And the worst part is the dog survived anyway!

I heard that, and it's human nature to help surely, if not foolhardy. But a different situation to 3 guys entering the water foolishly....
 

Mad Doug Biker

Banned from every bar in the Galaxy
Location
Craggy Island
Station Nightclub Fire, Rhode Island.


View: https://youtu.be/rO0ioCCiEe8?si=gf-fIA7o5_WQnJGD


Almost immediately the only entrance people were using is blocked, there was another entrance/exit but it was not widely used.

This is a graphic video, but gives some idea of what the Swiss nightclub fire may have felt like.


"OHHH, but why were they filming it? Etc etc" 🙄🤦‍♂️

For the people on here getting their knickers in a twist over people filming, I am glad somebody did film that as it shows more graphically how it can happen, compared to any smug twat telling you what they would have done, etc etc.

As for the Swiss one, with none of us having been there, we can but merely speculate, but it does seem a bit harsh to be criticising people, a bunch of kids probably, who merely wanted to record the unfolding* incident on their phones, etc. 🤷‍♂️



* - Yet again, hindsight is a wonderful thing
 
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wiggydiggy

Legendary Member
"OHHH, but why were they filming it? Etc etc" 🙄🤦‍♂️

For the people on here getting their knickers in a twist over people filming, I am glad somebody did film that as it shows more graphically how it can happen, compared to any smug twat telling you what they would have done, etc etc.

As for the Swiss one, with none of us having been there, we can but merely speculate, but it does seem a bit harsh to be criticising people, a bunch of kids probably, who merely wanted to record the unfolding* incident on their phones, etc. 🤷‍♂️



* - Yet again, hindsight is a wonderful thing

This film was being made by a reporter as part of a story on nightclub safety, I've watched and read about this fire a few times. It's given me second thoughts about entering any basement bar at all.

In Leeds I used to go to a few places similar to this and the Swiss bar, you just don't think it'll happen and then it does. Bar Phono was a basement club, I've no idea where the exits were. Key Club is another, I know there are exits other than the entrance but I've only used them once years ago.

The filming in the Swiss bar, I've read that when you are filming and viewing an event you have a sense of detachment and even protection as you are not directly viewing events. That makes sense to me.

Lastly on the Swiss one there is an interview with the fire chief of the town about the response from his team, all the firefighters are volunteers as well, and he's just broken when he talks. Heartbreaking.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Im not sure the Swiss one is an issue of building safety, as it seems likely the building was compliant with the applicable construction codes, but more a case of prattish behaviour with sparklers.

The Yorkshire one appears to not be swimmers, but a teenage girl was swept out to sea and two fellers bravely, but foolhardily, went in to try and rescue her :sad:

Whilst they always stress to look out for your own safety, it is difficult not to instinctively help when someone's in real peril. I recall an incident by the Thames, which was very much in flood at the time. There was a screaming girl and a visibly distressed mother and I thought another kid had gone in and I was instantly in full alert fight/flight mode. Thankfully it was just their foolhardy juvenile lab, but the instinct to act was still almost overwhelming. I thought I was just assessing what to do, and running down the bank to try and grab its collar but my wife very much sensed my psychological state and told me very clearly not to jump in. I didn't think I was going to but I obviously looked as if I might. If it had been a child not sure I'd have made a rationale judgment before acting, and I'm neither brave nor a particularly good swimmer

We did fish the dog out so all was well thankfully, but our human nature pushes us to act, even for a dog never mind a child. It wasn't even my own dog.

I have jumped in into deep fast moving water in a cave once when someone had lost their footing. Instinct kicked in and I just acted. I could barely swim back then, not that it'd have helped, but I was simply a bit heavier (and less clumsy) than the girl who'd been washed off her feet, and that was enough. It was a misjudged trip in questionable weather and the water level had risen a lot. For me as a relatively experienced caver it was at the top end of "bloody good fun" albeit at the dodgy end, but it was in retrospect quite dangerous for the less experienced, and above all lighter weight members of the team.
 
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