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is it just me?

petepaz

New Member
we use a lot of razor knives. we probably have about 6 randomly placed through out the shop and office where they would be used. maybe it's just me but am i wrong that it bothers me, everytime i go to reach for a knife the blade is exposed. what the hell! i guess people are ok getting stabbed when they reach for a knife?
if it's just me sorry it's been a long 4 weeks. we either have box type cutters or utility knives both types the blade can be retracted. why can't people retract the blade when you are done using it.
 

TXFB.INS

New Member
Nope not just you.

Stabbed myself this morning on an exposed blade, about used it on the person who left it that way. Their excuse "why didnt you look before you grabbed it"
 

jfiscus

Rap Master
Retractable knives around here get retracted when not in use, exactos are a different story.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Bugs the crap outa me, too. I retract mine religiously. Anywhere else in the shop, not only are the blades out, but I find spent blades in the stoopidest places........ :frustrated:

While we're at it........ how 'bout squeegees ?? They're all O V E R the place.​
 

petepaz

New Member
i worked in a carpet store for years when i was younger and used a utility knife all the time. number one rule RETRACT BLADE! also carried one in my pocket and one time it didn't retract all the way and i stabbed my self right in the *** when i went to put it in my pocket...OUCH...haha. they have told me also look before you reach well if it wasn't made to retract that would be different. we have a lot of blades lying around that we use also but you know to becarefull. when you reach for a retractable knife you expect that it has been left in a safe position. might be a good idea when you see someone do it you stab them with it and say oh i'm sorry you should have been looking for that.
 

ddarlak

Go Bills!
takes just about as much time to check and see if the blade is exposed as it does to close it, so i'd say your both lazy....

me, i always keep them open, ready for business.....
 

SignProPlus-Chip

New Member
takes just about as much time to check and see if the blade is exposed as it does to close it, so i'd say your both lazy....

me, i always keep them open, ready for business.....

We keep a cup/holder on the production table for Xactos. Has a piece of scrap HDU in the bottom for the blades to stick into. Caps ALWAYS get lost so when not in use, they just stay in the cup point down.
 

ddarlak

Go Bills!
Same here. And I also leave them scattered throughout the shop lol...saves time not having to look for them.

box cutters and exacto's scattered throughout the shop ... ready and waiting to inflict damage....
 

petepaz

New Member
box cutters and exacto's scattered throughout the shop ... ready and waiting to inflict damage....

A lot of Band-Aids scattered around ready for business also..haha
it's all good. i realize it takes just as much time to look as close it and most of the time i do but it's definately safer if you close it when you are done
 

thinksigns

SnowFlake
Years ago I had an employee on her very first day cut herself on an x-acto blade. The person on the other side of the table asked her to hand him the x-acto and she just puts her open palm on it and tries to roll it over. Well, it got caught on a rough spot on the table and her hand moved but the x-acto stayed where it was. Ultimately, I don't think it even required a bandaid. However, the thought of what happened freaked her out so much that she fainted and started shaking like she was having a seizure. She finally came to after a minute or so. I don't think she worked there longer than a month.
 

Techman

New Member
always keep plenty of blades around the shop. You never know when you will need to cut someone deep.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
A lot of Band-Aids scattered around ready for business also..haha
it's all good. i realize it takes just as much time to look as close it and most of the time i do but it's definately safer if you close it when you are done

Exactly. When you're in an environment with more than just yourself, even for something as little as a knife or xacto, they need to be made safe when not in use.

It's silly to leave potential weapons just laying around. Sure it happens, but the rule of thumb [unless you cut it off from a sloppy employee] would be to close all knives or put them in a safe place.

Another pet peeve is when they are applying vinyl and leave the backing paper all over the place instead of immediately throwing it away. Someone not watching could walk through and slip like the dickens and fall and possible really hurt themselves.

Nope, a shop with sharp objects and hazardous stuff laying around ready for use, is not where I'd wanna be. Pencils, pens, tweezers and just about any other tool should be put away when not in use. Otherwise, it's not laziness on both parties fault, just the person, not doing his/her job.


  • Do they let the touches blowing on low so they're ready ??
  • How 'bout the paint thinners or lacquer thinner can lids off ??
  • I guess it makes it easier and faster if you leave the refrigerator door open...........
:ROFLMAO:
 

Colin

New Member
I always leave 'em with the blade out, tightened in place. Have done that for 23 years without incident. I can't fathom grabbing any tool, especially a knife, without looking at what you're grabbing. Not only that, who grabs a utility knife on the knife end?
 
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GypsyGraphics

New Member
My current job requires us to use the auto-retract knifes. I absolutely hate them. For the average production employee who only uses knifes to open packages they're fine, but for a technician like myself that uses them for a variety of things not as simple as cutting tape they're a pain in my a**!

I have always liked a good quality folding one like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Bessey-D-BKWH-Quick-Change-Folding-Utility/dp/B000G7TLQ6

i don't have production employees, well any employees for that matter... but somehow i still end up with exposed blades!!! my husband and three sons, are always swiping mine from my shop or using my tools and leaving them out.

i bought them ALL there very own folding blade and guess what.... it turns out, if you're too much of a knucklehead (god-luv-em) to retract a blade, chances are, you're not gonna bother to fold a knife closed!

sooo... i'm like'n the idea of having a few auto-retracting knives around for my guys to use. reminds me of buying them safety scissors till they could be trusted with big boy scissors... or in this case... MY big girl tools!
 

signswi

New Member
Yes, I don't even touch knives or production but it still irks me, every time I walk the shop for any reason I end up closing and retracting a dozen knives of various types. And put away your damn squeegees!
 

Craig Sjoquist

New Member
geez I have exposed blades all over here, some are for protection hidden so I know where to grab.
The ones I use regular some are some not covered blades.. but the point is safety .. I know where my hands travel, would you operate a machine with blindfolds or loose clothing of course not.

Did ya ever take shop safety
 
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