. . . at least, not judging by this video clip of steelworkers (including apprentices and trainees) working with multi-ton hammers in a foundry in that country. Note the utter absence of safety features.
I reckon OSHA would have a fit if they saw this in a US foundry. It'd probably mean the instant arrest of whoever was responsible. On the other hand, those conditions are replicated in much of the Third World, and even in an advanced economy such as China's. In the West, we often take for granted the blessings of safety-consciousness.
Peter
15 comments:
"OSHA don't come into the engine room of we ships. They's heads would 'splode"
-my old chief engineer, Commander Coonass.
He caught a few of us grabbing onto the main shaft and hugging it, counting how many times we'd spin around before being thrown into the bilge.
We built a country, fought two world wars, and went to the moon using factories and machinery like that. Then OSHA & EPA came into existence, and the factories started closing, and being demolished.
If the President said, "We will go to the moon" today, we don't have the infrastructure or trained people to do it (we're now hitching rides to orbit on Russian space craft).
I've often wondered if OSHA, EPA, and their follow-on children were designed to cripple us.
-- Steve
You're missing the point of the video. Those guys are artists- do you see the team work they have- every blow was different and coordinated.
And I agree with the statements about OSHA and the EPA crippling us.
Didn't see any hearing protection either.
Don
I was in Jamaica last month and I noticed the scaffolding they used up to three stories high, was wooden poles cut from the brush and then lashed together with hemp cords. Definitely not OSHA approved! Much of what OSHA does is good, but like any government agency, they go way beyond reason many times.
How many companies now train with the motto, "Safety First!" But that's an oxy-maroon, as bugs would say. Safety First means NOT doing any job, cause there is always the risk of something...
The second guy helping had foamies in his ears, so there appears to be hearing protection available. They are wearing protective clothing, gloves and eye protection. The hammer is human operated, not automatic.
These guys know what they're doing, and are very unlikely to get hurt, IMO.
They are wearing gloves , safety glasses, and in one case a face shield and the hammer is actuated with a foot treadle. So whats the problem? In the U.S. the answer would be a wire cages and, numerous buttons to push. lines painted on the floor etc. etc. and workers would still find a way to get on workers comp. . Result: these sorts of jobs are gone forever.
My Dad had a large notice on the tool cabinet at our shop that said; "If you think OSHA is a small town in Wisconsin you're in a lot of trouble."
While I recognize that having some basic safety accoutrements is worthwhile, I think in many cases we've gone too far the other way.
If machine X is designed to "be as safe as possible" that supposed level of safety will be taken for granted and users will suffer the kinds of accidents that cannot be avoided if machine X is to perform its function.
If, however, the well trained user is aware that fingers can be lost in machine Y, and that said machine will take one's fingers off at the neck, the user tends to be extremely careful around machine Y.
I've seen too many instances where safety features have been deliberately defeated because they make the machine nearly impossible to use to believe that "the safest possible machine or procedure" is always the best choice.
I get the point of the video's teamwork & skill. I was pointing out that it is now missing in America. My father can remember working in the factory prior to the arrival of OSHA & EPA, and one of the plants worked on the Apollo. Once OSHA & EPA came in, it was cheaper to move the work overseas, and now the factory & its' skilled workers are gone (and they ain't coming back, to quote the song).
Here is an example of engineering archeology being performed to reverse engineer what we once did, to enable us to (hopefully) do it again. But producing the 3D model doesn't give the necessary background tooling, skills, or manufacturing base to remake the engine, from the 3D model.
That is what I meant by saying that we could not do the Apollo program today, as our manufacturing & worker base no longer exist.
-- Steve
I just want that hammer forge in my workshop. Folded steel, damascus steel, stainless/carbon/stainless laminate steel.....
Al_in_Ottawa
On how safety add-ons can ruin equipment, I added a much bigger milling machine to my metal shop a couple of months ago; a Grizzly G0704. The first time I went to use it, I found the safety shield they placed in front of the cutter (not a bad idea to have) hangs down so low that it prohibits any many types of cuts. It made the milling machine useless for many otherwise normal cuts.
I removed the safety.
I've used a 300lb power hammer. You just can't do that sort of work without the ability to move around the machine. Cages and other stuff would interfere with the ability to do the work.
The teamwork those guys show is impressive. I'd love to know what they're making.
And yes, you do still find machines like this in the US. A number of blacksmiths use them (though much smaller)
That said, that thing would be a hoot to use. Sign me up.
Seems this is best answered by digging up what an American style OSHA compliant powerhammer looks like. I assume they still exist, though as mentioned not ascommonly as they once were.
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