Turning Accident May Leave Permanent Hearing Damage

[NewfoundlandLaw]

Hey All

I am still finishing arranging my new workshop, but I had an itch to turn a pen.

I finished my initial shaping and sanding, then was applying CA coats. I use aerosol CA Accelerant and have been using the same brand for 3 years. 4 coats in, boom...

The entire lower outside portion of the can exploded. Like a shotgun blast 16" from my left ear. Left me staggering and trying to find my bearings. I have no idea what happened, just that the lower portion of the can blew outward.

That was 6 hours ago. A trip to the emergency room and a consultation with a Surgeon later, I have a badly blown-out eardrum. Surgery is likely and permanent hearing loss is almost a certainty.

Be careful everyone. Turn safe.


"Pen Turning on the Rock"

 

[jttheclockman]

Wow. Sorry to read about this. Never heard that one before. I guess every can that is under pressure is suspect. Hope they can repair and you recover. Could you tell us the brand??

 

[bsshog40]

I agree, real sorry for you. I have never heard of an aerosol can to just blow up on it's own. Do let us know the brand in case there is or has been an issue with this particular product. Get well soon!

 

[Jim15]

I'm glad you weren't hurt any worse. Hope you heal quickly.

 

[magpens]

Sorry about your accident.

Thanks for letting us know.

Please tell us more as it develops.

It is hard to accept that such a thing could happen, and it would seem to be a warning to all who use aerosol cans, which is just about everybody !

 

[NewfoundlandLaw]

Hi Everyone

I haven't posted the brand as I am unsure why the can exploded. It may be that I damaged the can or some user error. I honestly can't say for sure. I can say however that this company is known for top notch CA products and I think this was a one-off thing.

As I'm not convinced this wasn't caused by me, (or during the move to my new shop), I don't want to give the company bad press.

In fact, I've used no less than 15 cans of their aerosol accelerant in the past and never had a problem. I have 2 full cans left and will likely use those after a thorough visual inspection.

I think the lesson to be learned here is be careful when using pressurized products. I may never know what happened here tonight, but it is quite a wake up call.

PS: I am a lawyer in my day job and deal with personal injury suits all the time. I just don't feel that I have sufficient evidence to slander this company, as I cannot say for certain what caused the can to fail in such spectacular fashion. I will however reach out to the manufacturer and let them know. This way they can be vigilant and informed to look for future problems.


"Pen Turning on the Rock"

 

[1080Wayne]

Very sorry to hear that Marc . Were you holding the can and spraying at the time , or had you set it down ? Have the can looked at by a provincial workplace safety expert . They may be able to ascertain probable cause of failure .

 

[jttheclockman]

This is not a case of slander. This is a case of caution. Being you are not sure what happened try to prevent others from the same fate so we can check our cans too. Cans can rust and degrade so that needs to be watched. Droping of cans can dent and cause a severe crease. The valve can become damaged and cause an explosion too. Weather you take this as lawsuit is up to you. Yes easy to say take caution of all cans under pressure as well as working with pressure tanks when casting. So many things can go wrong in a shop in a split second. Hope you reconsider.

 

[NewfoundlandLaw]

This is not a case of slander. This is a case of caution. Being you are not sure what happened try to prevent others from the same fate so we can check our cans too. Cans can rust and degrade so that needs to be watched. Droping of cans can dent and cause a severe crease. Weather you take this as lawsuit is up to you. Yes easy to say take caution of all cans under pressure as well as working with pressure tanks when casting. So many things can go wrong in a shop in a split second. Hope you reconsider.

I agree 100%. I would never take action in a situation like this because I cannot be sure what happened. It could have been from a drop, a piece flying from the lathe, damage from shipping or a defective can. There is no way to know 100%.

What I want everyone to take from this is to be careful when using pressurized products. Something as simple as an aerosol can can do serious damage.

Stay safe and keep turning everyone.

PS: I've been told it is safe to keep turning as long as I wear a bandage over the ear to stop any dust from entering the middle-ear. So that's a plus.


"Pen Turning on the Rock"

 

[NewfoundlandLaw]

Very sorry to hear that Marc . Were you holding the can and spraying at the time , or had you set it down ? Have the can looked at by a provincial workplace safety expert . They may be able to ascertain probable cause of failure .

I was holding it with my left hand and was just about to spray. I was leaned forward on my stool looking at the finish. It blew out below my hand, facing towards the lathe. The problem was that it was very close to my left ear and gave off an incredibly loud bang. That noise/percussion put a 4-5mm hole in my eardrum.

I have a friend with the RCMP who is a forensic workplace safety investigator. I will text him and see if he wants to examine it for me. That being said, it looks like the can just blew outwards around the bottom crimp to me. May have been previously damaged and I never noticed, or could be a faulty can.


"Pen Turning on the Rock"

 

[Bryguy]

Awful! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[darrin1200]

Glad to hear you are relatively unscathed. I have heard they have made great strides in auditory medicine. I hope they can get you healed up.
I have one aerosol can in my shop, I will be giving it an exam today. Thanks for the heads up.


Take care.

 

[TonyL]

Thanks for the warning. Praying for healing.

 

[Curly]

That's a one in a million accident for sure. I would be tempted to put the other two cans aside until a cause can be ascertained. The metal may have been damaged, been improperly crimped and sealed or the metal itself may have had a flaw in it. If your RCMP buddy gives you the go-ahead that's fine but if there is a flaw in the metal or manufacturing of the can the product might need to be recalled. You are in the best position to know how to proceed. I wish the best of outcomes for you.

 

[egnald]

Wow. These kinds of things are so scary. Too often we take things for granted when working in the shop. I am glad you are able to cope so well with the repercussions. - Dave

 

[leehljp]

Praying for you in this situation. I do appreciate your honesty in how you handle this. I would certainly call in your RCMP friend.

 

[mick]

I was holding it with my left hand and was just about to spray. I was leaned forward on my stool looking at the finish. It blew out below my hand, facing towards the lathe. The problem was that it was very close to my left ear and gave off an incredibly loud bang. That noise/percussion put a 4-5mm hole in my eardrum.

I have a friend with the RCMP who is a forensic workplace safety investigator. I will text him and see if he wants to examine it for me. That being said, it looks like the can just blew outwards around the bottom crimp to me. May have been previously damaged and I never noticed, or could be a faulty can.


"Pen Turning on the Rock"

I was going to ask if it blew out at the seam. That could be a poor crimp of the seam or oxidation weaking the material. Either way I'm glad it didn't do more damage. I have severe hearing loss in my left ear from work so I know some of what you're going through. Hopefully it won't be permanent.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[mmayo]

Am too am glad you survived this incident. Hopefully you will regain full hearing ability.

Thinking about your incident led me to cover my large StickFast accelerator can with duct tape; it is tougher than my flesh. Also note the stand I have for the accelerator and two bottles of CA near my finishing lathe. I buy 26 oz bottles and empty plastic containers and save a great deal of money.

Be well and stay safe.

 

[mmayo]

16 ounce