7 Examples of safety gone wrong and tips to get it right

Have you ever witnessed one of those moments of pure “brilliance”?

Those times that you are grinning about the resourcefulness of an idea, but at the same time have that weird itch deep down that maybe it’s not that fool-proof and something might go wrong?

We are pretty sure that you would prefer to enjoy drinking that champagne over having to watch it go to waste on your floor because someone had the brilliant idea of opening the bottle with a knife.

Or, enjoy a great BBQ with your friends instead of having to run to the ER to take care of a couple of broken ribs.

We selected some interesting and funny examples to show you how seemingly good ideas turned out the wrong way and what you should do to easily get the desired result without incident.

Have a laugh and pay attention to the tips so these incidents won’t happen to you by following these Safety Tips.

1. Safety Tips: How NOT to open a champagne bottle

If you are a samurai, you can skip this one.

SAFETY TIP: Do not try to open a champagne bottle with a knife.

This is how you should do it:

• Remove the foil and the wire cage
• Cover the cork completely with a towel and start wiggling it
• At the same time that you push the cork outwards, start rotating the base of the bottle
• Take your time and do this nice and slow
• The champagne is going to whisper and not pop

Why should you want to do it this way?

Besides being more classy, you don’t have to stop your party or celebration to take someone to the ER because the cork hit them, nor do you have to start thinking about what would be the best picture to hide that new hole in your drywall.

2. Safety Tips: Kitchen, the battlefield

The kitchen is the heart of your home, but it can also be surprisingly dangerous. Cooking is fun, but kitchen safety is a priority.

SAFETY TIPS: Our kitchen safety tips will give you food for thought that could help you avoid becoming a kitchen injury statistic.

• Be cautious of clothing and accessories. Bracelets can get caught on pot handles, long sleeves and long hair can catch on fire (or get caught by the mixer), and belt loops can tug pan handles right off the stove top.
• Wear natural fibers, as synthetic clothing has the potential of melting onto your skin when on fire. Also, loose clothing can easily tempt a flame.
• The safest and most effective way to handle a grease fire is to use a non-glass lid and suffocate the fire. If you don’t have a lid at hand, try to pour baking soda on the fire. NEVER pour water on it, as this can cause an explosion, nor use sugar or flour to control the fire.
• Learn how to use a knife and treat it with respect. Knives should always be sharp. A dull knife can slip and cut.
• Watch out for steam. It can burn just as easily as boiling liquid or a hot burner. Be especially careful around covered microwaved foods, and foods that have been cooked in packets. Open these packages away from your face, and remember to use hot pads.

3. Safety Tips: Hammock installation #FAIL

Everybody loves a hammock.

Especially now during summer, nothing is better than catching up on your reading under the trees or just taking a nap in a safely and securely installed hammock.

Hanging a hammock can and should be as simple as eyeballing it once you’re used to doing it.

If you’re looking to hang it in a more permanent way, doing it ‘by the book’ and taking measurements is definitely the way to go to make sure the hammock hangs exactly the way you want it to.

SAFETY TIP: Hanging your hammock boils down to three key steps:

• Ensure you have sufficient height and hanging distance;
• Pick a suitable location;
• Choose a hanging method.

The Hammock Universe walks you through all the 3 steps so you can safely hang your hammock.

If you already are a hammock connoisseur, a cool tool for you to check is the Hammock Hang Calculator.

4. Safety Tips: How to unsafely trim a tree

Yeap, you are not supposed to do it like that.

But, you should be pruning your trees to keep them healthy and also for safety reasons.

If one of the tree’s limbs dies or becomes too heavy, it could break away from the trunk, causing injury to persons and damage to property nearby.

SAFETY TIP: While it is recommended that you hire a tree-trimming company to deal with extensive tree trimming for safety reasons, you can perform small pruning tasks yourself:

• Place a ladder against the tree. Ideally, you should use a tripod ladder as this model provides more stability, but a straight or extension ladder can be used instead.
• Use ladder spikes on the bottom of each ladder leg; these metal spikes screw into the sides of the ladder and are inserted into the ground to keep the ladder from slipping.
• Fix a safety harness to the tree by climbing the ladder, then wrapping the harness’ strap around the tree, tightening it so that it is snug and then locking it in place. Step into the safety harness and tighten it so that it is firm around your hips.
• Using pruning clippers and a pruning pole, remove any dead and diseased branches you find.
• If you are pruning for aesthetics reasons, divide the tree into thirds, and avoid removing any branches that are located above the bottom third of the tree.
• Avoid removing more than one-quarter of a tree’s crown in one season. This could make the tree very weak and result in irreparable damage.

Today’s Homeowner also gives tips and photos about how to best trim large branches so the tree can keep growing healthy and also heals fast.

5. Safety Tip: How to break a picnic bench with your ribs

There are definitely better ways to get rid of your picnic bench.

TIPS: There are easy and harmless solutions for you to handle patio furniture that you don’t like anymore:

• Refurbish it. With just some basic hand tools, some safety equipment, and a nice color of paint you’ll be able to refurbish your patio furniture for many years of continued use.
• If the furniture still is in a relatively good condition, give it away to a family member, a friend, or consider donating it
• Sell it online locally.
• Hold a garage or yard sale. This is a great way to get rid of a bunch of stuff all at once.
• Junk it. If that old outdoor patio furniture isn’t in usable condition and cannot be salvaged, then just have a junk removal service come pick it up so you don’t have to deal with it on your own.

6. Safety Tips: Man x Power Tool

Power tools are not wild beasts that need to be tamed, they come with specific directions and all you have to do is follow them.

Many accidents and injuries caused by power tools are due to misuse and lack of safety equipment. When used correctly and with the proper safety measures, you can significantly reduce the chance of an accident.

SAFETY TIPS:

• Regularly inspect tools to make sure they are in good shape and fit for use.
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment, like safety glasses or overspecs, head and hearing protection.
• Dress for the job by avoiding loose clothing or articles that can get caught in a tool’s moving parts, like jewelry.
• Use the right tool for the job. In other words, don’t try to use a wrench as a hammer.
• Never carry a power tool by its cord.
• When working at heights, never leave tools lying out in the areas where they could present a hazard to workers below.
• Never carry tools up a ladder by hand. Instead, use a bucket or bag to hoist tools from the ground or just use a tool pouch.

7. Safety Tips: Man x common sense

SAFETY TIP: last but not least, just have common sense!

Over to you. Do you have any funny or remarkable history about safety gone wrong? Share it with us in the comments below.

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