Helmet wars come to Bandon, Gateway to West Cork

Yesterday I saw some baseball caps in a store and bought a handful.
Today i went out without a bicycle helmet for the first time since I
started cycling in 1992, almost twenty years ago, instead wearing a
baseball cap to keep sweat and the sun out of my eyes. After my ride I
stopped at a supermarket to replenish my fruit gummies. When I came
out again there was a fellow admiring my bike. We had an agreeable
discussion until he was already in his car, closing the door, when he
said, "There's one more thing you need. A helmet. I see a lot of head
injuries." He was an American, of course; they're the only people who
think it is their birthright to tell the rest of the world what to
wear and consume and how to live. I smiled and nodded, as one does at
these impertinent tourists, and thought, "Just wait until you get back
to Colorado, pal, when I shall set Kreepy Krygo and the rest of the
anti-helmet brigade on you."

Andre Jute
Sometimes I wear a helmet, sometimes I don't, and sometimes I just
sits and picks my nose. Yes sir!

On May 8, 5:18*pm, Andre Jute wrote:
Yesterday I saw some baseball caps in a store and bought a handful.
Today i went out without a bicycle helmet for the first time since I
started cycling in 1992, almost twenty years ago, instead wearing a
baseball cap to keep sweat and the sun out of my eyes. After my ride I
stopped at a supermarket to replenish my fruit gummies. When I came
out again there was a fellow admiring my bike. We had an agreeable
discussion until he was already in his car, closing the door, when he
said, "There's one more thing you need. A helmet. I see a lot of head
injuries." He was an American, of course; they're the only people who
think it is their birthright to tell the rest of the world what to
wear and consume and how to live. I smiled and nodded, as one does at
these impertinent tourists, and thought, "Just wait until you get back
to Colorado, pal, when I shall set Kreepy Krygo and the rest of the
anti-helmet brigade on you."

Andre Jute
Sometimes I wear a helmet, sometimes I don't, and sometimes I just
sits and picks my nose. Yes sir!

You know--come tomorrow I'll have done about 75 hours of flood relief
this week, riding to disaster headquarters on my bike in steel toe
engineer boots with a backpack containing a bare bones demolition kit.
I just hope somebody with a lack of perspective tries that **** with
me. I've been training for it furiously by pumping debris and lifting
sodden spinet pianos. My wrecker bar could use another vanity notch.

On 5/8/2010 9:14 PM, Max the landotter wrote:

You know--come tomorrow I'll have done about 75 hours of flood relief
this week, riding to disaster headquarters on my bike in steel toe
engineer boots with a backpack containing a bare bones demolition kit.
I just hope somebody with a lack of perspective tries that **** with
me. I've been training for it furiously by pumping debris and lifting
sodden spinet pianos. My wrecker bar could use another vanity notch.


butbutbut, Magic Foam Bicycle Hats™ prevent 69% of leg injuries!!!

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007

On May 8, 7:14*pm, landotter wrote:
On May 8, 5:18*pm, Andre Jute wrote:





Yesterday I saw some baseball caps in a store and bought a handful.
Today i went out without a bicycle helmet for the first time since I
started cycling in 1992, almost twenty years ago, instead wearing a
baseball cap to keep sweat and the sun out of my eyes. After my ride I
stopped at a supermarket to replenish my fruit gummies. When I came
out again there was a fellow admiring my bike. We had an agreeable
discussion until he was already in his car, closing the door, when he
said, "There's one more thing you need. A helmet. I see a lot of head
injuries." He was an American, of course; they're the only people who
think it is their birthright to tell the rest of the world what to
wear and consume and how to live. I smiled and nodded, as one does at
these impertinent tourists, and thought, "Just wait until you get back
to Colorado, pal, when I shall set Kreepy Krygo and the rest of the
anti-helmet brigade on you."

Andre Jute
Sometimes I wear a helmet, sometimes I don't, and sometimes I just
sits and picks my nose. Yes sir!

You know--come tomorrow I'll have done about 75 hours of flood relief
this week, riding to disaster headquarters on my bike in steel toe
engineer boots with a backpack containing a bare bones demolition kit.
I just hope somebody with a lack of perspective tries that **** with
me. I've been training for it furiously by pumping debris and lifting
sodden spinet pianos. My wrecker bar could use another vanity notch.- Hide quoted text -

Do they make you wear a hardhat on the job? I think that is OSHA
required if you are doing demolition. -- Jay Beattie.

On May 8, 4:18*pm, Andre Jute wrote:

He was an American, of course; they're the only people who
think it is their birthright to tell the rest of the world what to
wear and consume and how to live.

Andre Jute

I don't remember telling India what to wear and consume and how to
live. That was someone else, wasn't it.

sa

On 05/08/2010 11:43 PM, semi-ambivalent wrote:
On May 8, 4:18 pm, Andre wrote:

He was an American, of course; they're the only people who
think it is their birthright to tell the rest of the world what to
wear and consume and how to live.

Andre Jute

I don't remember telling India what to wear and consume and how to
live. That was someone else, wasn't it.

Who learned it from some proto-Italians, no doubt. The concept has been
around long before the United States of America, presumably the country
to which Mr. Jute was referring, even existed and in fact before the
continent on which it was located was discovered by the Western world.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On May 8, 10:52*pm, Jay Beattie wrote:


Do they make you wear a hardhat on the job? *I think that is OSHA
required if you are doing demolition. -- Jay Beattie.

I recall seeing a member of a road paving crew, working at midnight,
carefully put on his hard hat before getting out of his construction
truck. That was probably OSHA too, unless it was a DOT regulation.

Think about it. What would have fallen on his head in the middle of a
closed four-lane highway? Was the risk of head injury greater inside
the truck, or outside it?

Similarly, our local TV recently covered a ribbon-cutting ceremony,
with the governor and a bunch of local officials officially opening a
new manufacturing plant. All 20 of them were in shiny white hard
hats. That's inside a factory with just one floor. As I said to my
wife, "What do they think is going to fall on their heads?"

Belief in outright magic may have decreased a little in the past 100
years, but it's been more than replaced by belief in protective
equipment.

- Frank Krygowski

On 05/09/2010 01:48 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On May 8, 10:52 pm, Jay wrote:


Do they make you wear a hardhat on the job? I think that is OSHA
required if you are doing demolition. -- Jay Beattie.

I recall seeing a member of a road paving crew, working at midnight,
carefully put on his hard hat before getting out of his construction
truck. That was probably OSHA too, unless it was a DOT regulation.

Think about it. What would have fallen on his head in the middle of a
closed four-lane highway? Was the risk of head injury greater inside
the truck, or outside it?

Similarly, our local TV recently covered a ribbon-cutting ceremony,
with the governor and a bunch of local officials officially opening a
new manufacturing plant. All 20 of them were in shiny white hard
hats. That's inside a factory with just one floor. As I said to my
wife, "What do they think is going to fall on their heads?"

Belief in outright magic may have decreased a little in the past 100
years, but it's been more than replaced by belief in protective
equipment.

- Frank Krygowski


It's not belief, it's simply regulations and fear of lawsuits. Just
*try* to go onto any sort of job site without a hard had; you'll either
be given one within seconds or escorted off the premises. Safety
glasses and high-visibility vests are becoming more common, too. (just
more crap to keep in my car...)

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On 5/9/2010 8:47 AM, Nate Nagel wrote:
On 05/09/2010 01:48 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On May 8, 10:52 pm, Jay wrote:


Do they make you wear a hardhat on the job? I think that is OSHA
required if you are doing demolition. -- Jay Beattie.

I recall seeing a member of a road paving crew, working at midnight,
carefully put on his hard hat before getting out of his construction
truck. That was probably OSHA too, unless it was a DOT regulation.

Think about it. What would have fallen on his head in the middle of a
closed four-lane highway? Was the risk of head injury greater inside
the truck, or outside it?

Similarly, our local TV recently covered a ribbon-cutting ceremony,
with the governor and a bunch of local officials officially opening a
new manufacturing plant. All 20 of them were in shiny white hard
hats. That's inside a factory with just one floor. As I said to my
wife, "What do they think is going to fall on their heads?"

Belief in outright magic may have decreased a little in the past 100
years, but it's been more than replaced by belief in protective
equipment.

- Frank Krygowski


It's not belief, it's simply regulations and fear of lawsuits. Just
*try* to go onto any sort of job site without a hard had; you'll either
be given one within seconds or escorted off the premises. Safety glasses
and high-visibility vests are becoming more common, too. (just more crap
to keep in my car...)

nate

According to company policy, I am to wear safety glasses, steel toe
shoes/boots, hard hat and visibility vest all the time I am on a
construction site.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007

On May 8, 10:48*pm, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On May 8, 10:52*pm, Jay Beattie wrote:



Do they make you wear a hardhat on the job? *I think that is OSHA
required if you are doing demolition. -- Jay Beattie.

I recall seeing a member of a road paving crew, working at midnight,
carefully put on his hard hat before getting out of his construction
truck. *That was probably OSHA too, unless it was a DOT regulation.

Think about it. *What would have fallen on his head in the middle of a
closed four-lane highway? *Was the risk of head injury greater inside
the truck, or outside it?

Similarly, our local TV recently covered a ribbon-cutting ceremony,
with the governor and a bunch of local officials officially opening a
new manufacturing plant. *All 20 of them were in shiny white hard
hats. *That's inside a factory with just one floor. *As I said to my
wife, "What do they think is going to fall on their heads?"

Belief in outright magic may have decreased a little in the past 100
years, but it's been more than replaced by belief in protective
equipment.

They are not required on roofs or where there is no exposure to
potential head injury. See e.g.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owad...S&p_id =24765

Also, a hard hat is nonetheless a hat. Your road worker was probably
just putting on his hat and getting ready for work, although there
could be some head injury hazard that is not immediately apparent to
us e.g. flying gravel or rock. I don't think hard hats offer much
protection against a trackhoe or dump truck or passing motorist --
which seem to account for most of the dead road workers (apart from
trench collapse, which is not really road work).

I represent a manufacturer of fall protection including self-
retracting lifelines. They do save lives. But, they are often
misused or used in the wrong application -- or ignored because they
are inconvenient.-- Jay Beattie.