# knife safety



## speed bump (Mar 10, 2022)

A picture is worth a thousand words- but some people need both. I've been farming, butchering and processing for better than 40 years. I made cheese and worked handling and cutting wheels of cheese.I also worked as an ER nurse for 20 years. My son worked in a restaurant as well.
In these contexts, I've run into knife injuries aplenty,  and have become enough of a pest on the subject at home to deserve 'OSHA' as a middle name. The photo illustrates one of my pet peeves. I've approached the subject in various ways- and today I decided to go from another angle. 
My son had the experience of knocking a concealed knife off the work table and having it go right through his work boot into his foot. I've had one concealed under the edge of a beef quarter get flipped off in a similar way. I escaped injury that time.
So after taking this photo this am, I went looking through my books for a vivid description I'd read once on the topic. Came close in Hasheider's butchering book. It came close but not quite there. I was hoping to glean some information here as to another persuasive source or personal story. I'm going to be doing a 'safety first' post in various areas and want to get my ducks in a row first. No one (including yours truly) needs to come bumbling down in the morning, bleary -eyed, to face this repeated hazard.


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## JLeonard (Mar 10, 2022)

Did 8 years working in the trauma center in Memphis, TN.  Saw my fair share of knife wounds. 
Jim


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## Steve H (Mar 10, 2022)

No idea what you're talking about!


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## negolien (Mar 10, 2022)

I    cut the corner of my left thumb off.. lol twice :<)


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## Nate52 (Mar 10, 2022)

negolien said:


> I    cut the corner of my left thumb off.. lol twice :<)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've had that scar. What were you mincing?


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## JC in GB (Mar 10, 2022)

*Worst cut I ever got was from washing a glass that shattered in my hand.  Can hardly see it now but it caused permanent nerve damage. I had to call a friend to take me to the ER.  I never would have made it driving myself.  Good times...  Good times...  *
*
Will be checking back for your knife safety tips.  You can never have too much information on how to do something in a safe manner.
*
*JC  *


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## JC in GB (Mar 10, 2022)

*This also reminds me of a real close call story I had working construction.*
*
I was inside a supply trailer and there was no stairs so it was climb in and jump out.

Someone decided that it was a good place to deposit a board with a nail sticking up out of it by the door.  Well, I got done getting my supplies and jumped out of the trailer.  I felt something scrape me between my toes.  I looked down and there was a big rusty nail sticking through my boot right between my toes.
*
*I really needed that luck as I wasn't in a situation where I could have afforded a visit tot he ER.  Life, it never gets dull!  *


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## sawhorseray (Mar 10, 2022)

I wear a kevlar glove when doing some serious blade work, learned the hard way. RAY


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## mosparky (Mar 10, 2022)

I've seen a lot of folks use a knife with the blade exiting the hand from the pinkie end. Maybe some find it acceptable in certain situations, but I was taught (even before Cub scouts) never use or carry a knife in that position. Never cut toward yourself. To me that is just asking for trouble. Yeah, that one is a pet peeve.


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## indaswamp (Mar 10, 2022)

And don't forget the safety gloves when removing a slicer blade for clean up....


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## jkc64 (Mar 10, 2022)

JC in GB said:


> *This also reminds me of a real close call story I had working construction.*
> 
> *I was inside a supply trailer and there was no stairs so it was climb in and jump out.
> 
> ...



I did the rusty nail in the foot thing when I was a kid. My grandma rushed out and rubbed lard on the nail so that I would not get an infection, I didn't. Explain that.
I look forward to your safety advice.


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## indaswamp (Mar 10, 2022)

mosparky said:


> I've seen a lot of folks use a knife with the blade exiting the hand from the pinkie end. Maybe some find it acceptable in certain situations, but I was taught (even before Cub scouts) never use or carry a knife in that position. Never cut toward yourself. To me that is just asking for trouble. Yeah, that one is a pet peeve.


Only time I ever do that is when boning out a cut. There are some boning cuts that are just easier to make holding the knife that way...


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## negolien (Mar 10, 2022)

onions both times lol


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## indaswamp (Mar 10, 2022)

negolien said:


> onions both times lol


Once the curve of the onion starts falling back towards my fingers, I stand the onion up so the roots are facing up, then continue chopping. Now if the knife slips, it is going away from me instead of towards my hand....


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## sawhorseray (Mar 10, 2022)

negolien said:


> onions both times lol


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## negolien (Mar 10, 2022)

The 1st one in that video is how I took em off lol :<( just not payin attention sadly 34 years apart though so I don't feel so bad lol


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## DougE (Mar 10, 2022)

Respect those mandolin slicers, too. I have a friend who whopped off a chunk out of the side of his thumb while shredding cabbage for slaw.


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## noboundaries (Apr 12, 2022)

mosparky said:


> Never cut toward yourself.


My last finger cut a couple weeks ago was for just that reason. I know better, but I was de-ribbing a red bell pepper and listening to something on the TV. I looked down, saw a white rib that needed a quick cleanup. Cut toward myself when the knife tip caught and let go.

There's a very specific feeling you get as a razor sharp knife slices into skin. No pain, but intuitively you know it's deep. Yeah. I got that feeling.


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