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The most important machine design step is ensuring operator safety. During the design process, hazards are often identified that can be removed, but when a hazard cannot be removed, then various levels of safeguarding must be provided. These typically take the form of machine access guarding and point-of-operation guarding.

Early welding was dirty work. Welders of the past were exposed to flying sparks, harmful fumes, and high temperatures with very little protective gear. From when welding processes were first used in the Middle Ages to the modern, innovative welding helmets of today, personal protective equipment for welding safety has come a long way.

In 2017, 5,147 workers in the U.S. were killed on the job, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, down slightly from 5.190 in 2016. The fatal injury rate in 2017 was 3.5 per 100,000 full-time employees. Three or four people out of 100,000. Not close to one percent. Meaning most everyone escapes being touched by a work-related death. 

Not long after toddlers take their first tentative steps, they’re likely to be told, “Don’t touch the hot stove.” Either by heeding that warning or sadly through their own experience, they learn that a hot stove may burn them.

Superman doesn't sweat. It's something I recently found out. It doesn't make sense to me, but I guess that when you're pretty much invulnerable and you shoot laser beams from your eyes, it's no surprise that he doesn't overheat. For us mere mortals, we need to deal with the everyday occurrence of being susceptible to extreme temperatures.

During my college summer breaks, I worked at a few different high-risk construction sites. On one job, I had a boss who liked to holler and was not very well liked. He was known as Hog Jaws and I’ve mentioned him previously.