Danger in the Studio

What are some of the dangerous things that are waiting for you in your sewing space?  Rotary cutter left open? Straight pins on the floor? Extension cords across walking paths?  Imagine that you have all these dangerous situations and a husband who is the family "safety man."  Yep, that's what he calls himself!

It's funny, sure, but then you may not have a darling of a man pointing out every danger lying in wait.  He likes to drop in and visit while I'm sewing.  Oh, I like the visits.  He is the best guy at setting machines and can answer any problem or question I have.  After all, he worked at a major garment plant for 25 years and was the maintenance supervisor for most of those years.  So there's probably nothing in my sewing studio that he can't fix or make better.  But you've probably heard that for every positive there's a negative.  Well, seeing danger as it lurks is my husband's specialty--so he really IS the family safety man.  He is also capable of driving me crazy or maybe just a little insane.  I know, he's only looking out for my safety, and who doesn't want that, but the truth is it can get just a little old.  I tested him recently.  He came into the studio on Sunday afternoon and I did my best not to shush him.  Instead, I counted the dangers he found in a ten minute time span.  (Sorry, I couldn't handle any longer than that.)  Curious about his findings?

Here's his list.  Note that some of these issues are dangers to objects not people, but he will point out that damaging objects means they don't work as well, cost money to replace, or may pose a danger to me as a result.
  1.  doors unlocked
  2.  shears near edge of work table
  3.  rotary cutter open
  4.  electrical cords in walking path
  5.  standing on movable object for reaching fabric
  6.  long-arm not "locked down" (it can move freely)
  7.  heavy objects on high shelves
  8.  too many electronics plugged into the same outlet
  9.  pins and needles on floor
10.  lit candles
11.  waste basket in middle of floor
12.  quilts stacked haphazardly on frame
13.  old chest with broken, jagged metal straps

Now, I could probably have defended myself for almost every one of these dangers, but why bother?  He just fixes the problem, or tells me how to, and moves on to the next danger.  I learned long ago to let him be till I've had enough then threaten to put him out.  Usually that resolves the litany.....he just switches from telling me to fixing....and there is an advantage to having someone come in and straighten up!

So now, what about your workspace?  Do you have a few dangers lurking?  If so, do you have someone fixing them?  I don't worry about my dangers so much, but I do have a safety guy coming in on a regular basis.  You might want to take a second look at your space, then fix any problems you discover.