[TowerTalk] 80' oak and socket hazards

[RICHARD BOYD]

The story of the 80' oak and 19MM socket injury reminds me of a Field Day injury we had some years back (names and callsigns intentionally eliminated.  They know who they are and don't want to hear or think about this again!)

Though we only needed to throw a rope over a 40' tree, "we" had a crossbow with lugnut taped to the end -- the "arrow" (or "bolt") attached to a fishing line.  Somehow the line hung up somewhere, the arrow reached the end of the line, stretched the line, and began its return trip to earth, hitting one of our people who was just spectating from nearby, not the "archer," just above the eye.  It bled profusely but a Band-Aid closed it back up, no stitches were required.  Very fortunate indeed that the eye was not lost.

Lessons learned:

  1.. Be very, very careful, more careful than we were.  Everyone other than the shooter should stand way, way, back.  Even then, you might want to stand behind something and, like (not) looking at the sun, avoid watching the operation, because if they see it your eyes have become targets. 
  2.. Don't use overkill -- that is, don't use a higher velocity object thrower if something lower velocity will do. 
  3.. Wear protective eyeglasses, hardhat, etc. if for some reason you have to be near such an operation.  We do, at least to some extent, give consideration to eye protection and head protection and steel-toe boots too, but I've often contemplated the injury done if a wrench or nut or bolt falls on the point on top of your shoulder -- I wonder if anyone in the "drop zone" should have something like football shoulder pads, in addition to the protections we already consider standard.  It seems like the shoulders are the main "horizontal surfaces" we've left unprotected.  I doubt that shoulders get hit very often but when they do, ouch!
73 - Rich, KE3Q