A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

[MTboatguy]

I know what I am talking about is probably not a well known subject to many that post on this forum..I took a job a few months ago, because frankly....I was getting board being retired!

I have taught people about bear spray since I moved to Montana and I have been working in the manufacturing plant for the last 5 months, well today, fate reared its ugly head and I was filling large bear spray cans and unfortunately had one blow up in my face!!! To say it is uncomfortable, is an underdecription to say the least, when the can exploded it reminded me of being in combat and brought back many bad memories, in addition to the discomfort of having 290 grams of pepper blasted into your eyes..

To say today was a BAD day, is an understatement...

Believe me, I know this stuff works, I would not want to be a bear!

 

[JRJ]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

Glad you are OK and the pepper spray works.........now what about the bells??

 

[southkogs]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

Whoah - Sorry MT, I've gotten a small blast of pepper spray in the past. I can only imagine what a big one is like.

 

[mommicked]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

I hope your ok besides the pain and suffering of the pepper. It seems you could have been hurt very badly. What safety gear is used in this procedure? or what will you do differently in the future assuming you will do this again? Oh and I just heard of the hunter who was killed by a Grizzly on the Montana/Idaho border. He apparently saved his partners life by getting the bear off him. I dont think any of my friends are that brave.

 

[rbh]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

OUCH!!!!!
I hope they had a good eye wash station close.



(side note, went to a party and some A@@ thought it would be funny to drop 2 tabs of CS gas on the burner, cleared the party out fast, gas hut is one thing but that, GRRRR)

 

[Volphin]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

Wow! Glad you are OK! That must have stung like a Beotch.
And thanks for your service sir. What you carry inside is what we can never repay.

V

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

I hope your ok besides the pain and suffering of the pepper. It seems you could have been hurt very badly. What safety gear is used in this procedure? or what will you do differently in the future assuming you will do this again? Oh and I just heard of the hunter who was killed by a Grizzly on the Montana/Idaho border. He apparently saved his partners life by getting the bear off him. I dont think any of my friends are that brave.

I was back at it this morning, filled over 700 cans with no problems at all, we have a full complete shield around the area that we charge the cans with propellant, it looks as if I was the one that make a mistake and double charged a can, kind of like trying to put 10 pounds of rocks in a 5 pound sack! We rebuilt the safety shields this morning, about the only thing that needs to change...is to make sure you don't double charge a can.

The hunter that was killed was killed in an area that I hunt, very remote and there are a heck of allot of grizzly bears in that area, of course in this type of situation, the species does not matter, a wounded bear is just a nasty animal to deal with, the country is very dense brush. Reading the incident reports on this death, there were quite a few mistakes made on the hunters part, and unfortunately, it cost someone their life.

Just as a note, I work around pepper sprays 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and the normal pepper spray you buy for personal defense does not hold a candle to the bear spray, quite a different formulation on the bear spray, different chemicals and more concentrated pepper..

 

[mommicked]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

It sounds like you may be developing a resistance to the stuff by exposure. Maybe one day you'll be able to spray it in your mouth/eyes, and just smile and wink afterward.......Seriously I'm glad you were not seriously injured and I'm sure your work will save many from a much worse and non-temporary fate. I've never been threatened or attacked by any animal bigger than a large dog or racoon. I cannot imagine a large bear coming to get me even having seen it on TV or video. I think having a gun might be useless if I cannot calmly or effectively use it and or instinct makes me turn and try to run anyway instead.

 

[Cofe]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

Yeaouch!!!!! I'll say that would hurt..........Yeooooooowwwww! Good to hear you are ok after that incident.
I was wondering? is there some way that the can can be automatically marked when the pressurizer is attached? Seems like there should be some kind of ink dotter or something that would mark the can when the pressurizer is attached.
On a eight hour day that would put you at charging 5.49 cans of spray every minute. I could see myself returning back from break and wonder where I left off, or wondering if one of my fellow workers moved a charged can to the needing charge can pile. I would have hated to be in your shoes.......It makes me cringe every time I think about getting some of that potent stuff on any of my sensory organs.....I can only imagine Yeooowwwwww!!!!

 

[royal0014]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

YEOW! Glad you're ok.

Not to judge, I'm sure you know what you are doing. But, maybe a re-evaluation (sp) of safety procedures is in order. How did a charged can get back in line for another charge???

Just from personal experience, any safety aspect of an assembly-line procedure should be developed for the slowest, dumbest person useing the procedure......if a lazy individual can find a way around something, they will.

No offense intended, I would trust a retired O-6. Just food for thought.


<<)))(((>>

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

YEOW! Glad you're ok.

Not to judge, I'm sure you know what you are doing. But, maybe a re-evaluation (sp) of safety procedures is in order. How did a charged can get back in line for another charge???

Just from personal experience, any safety aspect of an assembly-line procedure should be developed for the slowest, dumbest person useing the procedure......if a lazy individual can find a way around something, they will.

No offense intended, I would trust a retired O-6. Just food for thought.


<<)))(((>>

You can be assured, we are evaluating our procedures to try and prevent an incident of this nature happening again.

Thanks for the input.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

I am one of the 5% or so of people that are not greatly affected by the spray. If I am working with a new partner I always let him know in case I end up rolling in the dirt with some idiot he can let go with his spray on both of us.

I just checked the can on my duty belt and noticed it was made in Casper. Is that where you are working?

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: A reason for safety sheilds!!!!

I am one of the 5% or so of people that are not greatly affected by the spray. If I am working with a new partner I always let him know in case I end up rolling in the dirt with some idiot he can let go with his spray on both of us.

I just checked the can on my duty belt and noticed it was made in Casper. Is that where you are working?

If yours was made in Casper, it was made by a company called Def Tek, I work for a company called Counter Assault in Kalispell, MT

Believe me, being exposed to regular law enforcement/Personal Protection spray is completely different than being exposed to Bear Spray, they are two entirely different products with different formulas, I have never met a person that is not affected by bear spray, pepper spray to me is more like a seasoning, bear spray is an entirely different animal!