Fire Extinguishers

Go for powder. Reminds me of something in '72 or '73 the old Beddy's battery cover shorted out the battery & started a fire. Back then we had Carbontetrachloride extinguishers (the ones you pumped by hand) my mate was crook as a dog from the chlorine fumes for a couple of days but got the fire out. The next day he nearly tipped the Beddy over lifting a 2 ton concrete manhole into a hole with the hiab would give a million bucks for a camera that day with him trying to stop her falling over into the hole.
Graham

Found this bloke who needed an extinguisher, or a coke. After this i think he would need a good drink

AB

A good dose of JB with that coke nah drink her straight it will soften the blow when he rang the boss

Graham

Already used the coke trying to put the fire out,,, Just drink the JD straight ... Only if your not driving, ( I was good Sarge )...

Cam - You need to show the crew that aerosol cans are little hand grenades lying on the floor, by throwing one on a fire in a open air environment, and standing back, and watching how high and far they go.

I drove over to my shop yesterday, and pulled up, and looked across at Joe my truck mechanic neighbour .. and he was cutting up 200 litre drums with A GAS AXE!!

I went across and chided him about using a gas axe to cut open drums .. but he wouldn't have a bar of my argument.
He's quite a few years older than me, very experienced, very capable .. and claims he's been cutting open drums with a gas axe for over 45 years, and won't be stopping any time soon ..

It's hard to put your point across, to a bloke who's older and reputedly wiser .. but he claims that they were "only oil drums" .. and he KNOWS exactly what they have in them, because they've been in his shop all the time.
However, I tried to explain that even though he claimed he's the only one who works in his shop, he's not. He has sons and part-time helpers who often work there, and any one of them could put anything in a drum and not tell him. It only takes a cupful of petrol, or even kero, and you're dead.

I told him I used to cut open oil drums, too, with the gas axe .. until I learnt of 3 people I knew who were blown up, cutting open drums with a gas axe. One was killed, and two were maimed for life.
The bloke who was killed, was in his 60's, and no doubt, "had been doing it for 45 years with no problems" ..

I couldn't convince Joe, no matter how much I put across the point, that he could cut open 9999 drums, over 45 yrs, and number 10,000 will get him.
I just hope I'm not around when one does get him. Air chisels are so much safer.

Onetrack.. am with you 100%. A fellow workmate got caught. Someone was steeling the diesel from work using the empty drums. They decided to cut them with the gas axe. BUT unknown to those doing the cutting, the boss had used one to cart petrol for his boat... After the explosion is to late.. Have seen this practice many times and many inocent people get hurt and scared for life..... R.I.P Tom...

Drums, Fuel Tanks, they all better left to someone who knows what they are doing. One of the girls who used to work in our office, her Father is a Cane Cocky near Mackay, spent about 3 months in hospital when a diesel tank he was welding blew up, the welding helmet actually protected him a lot. There is plenty of theory's on how to weld or cut them too, stick it over the car exhaust, fill it with argon, run compressed air in to it so it burns instead of explodes, but if you don;t know what you are doing, I don't wan't to witness the results for sure. It is Russian Roulette.

We had a fellow come around and press all the drums and take them for scrap.. Havent seen that done around here Cam. He done plastic drums to, but you had to supply a bin to dispose of them.

The 20l ones are easy, just put a bit of a big dent in them and you can run them over. Front end loaders are handy too.

If you don't know leave it alone. I investigated an incident where a guy drilled into a vented gas storage cabinet to mount a bracket went through a paint can, what a mess but could have been worse he grazed a lpg cylinder on the way. Cans on floor good for rolled ankles. A mechanic welding on a oil drum 6 weeks hospital, had petrol in it. Two guys at work with gas axe and a bunch of oil drums. I took the bungs out one smelt of petrol, oops! I was eight when dads boss welding on drum exploded in front of me, well don't want to see that again even though he is about 75 now. I don't like seeing my workmates injure/kill themselves but dislike it when it is some innocent bystander. Currently investigating a 11kva contact by our excavator, now that could have been firey pic.
Just all keep safe, we are not invincible.

Graham