Near death experience
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:55 am
I thought I'd share my near miss yesterday, in the hope that if someone remembers it, it might save their life.
I can't go into to much detail, as the health and safety executive will be investigating the finer points, but the essence of the message remains.(Hence me sticking it in here and not the public forum)
I was working (as a waitress in a cocktail bar.....) in the back of a brand new van yesterday, fitting some 12v powered equipment. Something I have done many times before, but not with this van. It was all going to plan until I connected the 2nd power source, when there was a loud crack, and within literally two seconds the entire rear area of the van filled with acrid smoke that not only choked me, but blinded me.
Fortunately, as the smoke turned to fire, I got out of the door I'd left open and behind the van. The fire extignuisher that is normally used to prop the doors open saved the whole van going up.
Now I'm guessing the cabling was either not suitable for the load/ and or the system was nt fused properly. I'm sure the terminals were the right way round before someone suggests it, but surely even if that had happened, there should nt have been a fire if the appropriate safety measures had been in place. I found an inline fuse of 3 amps was still intact afterwards, so it obviously had not got that far:toetap05:
My point is with this post, is that as much as I've been around cars for years like most of us, please give yourself an escape route if it all goes weary, and get a fire extinguisher.
Simply put, if I'd been working with the van door shut I would have died, and if the extinguisher had been elsewhere we'd need a new van rather than a valet and some new equipment.
On a slightly positive note, it was nice to see I can still "shift" when required, and I'm a good shot with a fire extinguisher:sifone:
I can't go into to much detail, as the health and safety executive will be investigating the finer points, but the essence of the message remains.(Hence me sticking it in here and not the public forum)
I was working (as a waitress in a cocktail bar.....) in the back of a brand new van yesterday, fitting some 12v powered equipment. Something I have done many times before, but not with this van. It was all going to plan until I connected the 2nd power source, when there was a loud crack, and within literally two seconds the entire rear area of the van filled with acrid smoke that not only choked me, but blinded me.
Fortunately, as the smoke turned to fire, I got out of the door I'd left open and behind the van. The fire extignuisher that is normally used to prop the doors open saved the whole van going up.
Now I'm guessing the cabling was either not suitable for the load/ and or the system was nt fused properly. I'm sure the terminals were the right way round before someone suggests it, but surely even if that had happened, there should nt have been a fire if the appropriate safety measures had been in place. I found an inline fuse of 3 amps was still intact afterwards, so it obviously had not got that far:toetap05:
My point is with this post, is that as much as I've been around cars for years like most of us, please give yourself an escape route if it all goes weary, and get a fire extinguisher.
Simply put, if I'd been working with the van door shut I would have died, and if the extinguisher had been elsewhere we'd need a new van rather than a valet and some new equipment.
On a slightly positive note, it was nice to see I can still "shift" when required, and I'm a good shot with a fire extinguisher:sifone:
