To depart from the photos section, where a thread on safety developed:
The carboys I get come with plastic wicker baskets that have handles built in. I keep the carboys in them at all times, even in the sink when I'm washing/sanitizing. Like Oskaar, I always work wearing rubber gloves for better grip. I confess I hadn't thought of safety, but have been avoiding expensive breakage (they can slip right through my carpal-tunnely hands).
Every manual job has safety issues. To make soap, I just about put on armor: vapor-proof white mask covers nose and mouth, either safety goggles or full, clear mask to protect eyes, gloves, big PVC apron, closed shoes. Not fun to wear all that when it's hot, and soapmaking is energetic, hot work anyway - but there are enough true stories of lye burns among soapers that I won't take risks. And I only soap when no-one else is around except my trained assistant. God forbid that anyone ignorant should get into the lye or new, caustic soap. Let everyone enjoy the soap when it's cured and mild; that's good enough.
The obvious thing to me was to avoid inhaling sulfite fumes. When I mix up a new batch of pot meta solution, I usually wear one of my vapor-proof masks. The other reason I wear gloves when sanitizing is to protect my skin. That stuff is fierce. Those things come naturally to me after years of making soap. But I had not thought of dangers involved in shattered carboys.
What other safety issues are there in brewing? For example, we've had threads on the possible toxicity of herbal ingredients. That sets up a question in my mind: is it possible to make, by neglect or mistake, a truly toxic wine/mead? I'm thinking of bacterial infection here.
It might be useful to set up brewing safety guidelines. I've never seen much mentioned in books (except about sulfite fumes), nor online. In contrast, every soapmaking book, manual, or online site has clear explanations about safety.
If people contribute ideas, I'd be willing to edit the material and post it here - or maybe Vicky, in her abundant spare time : could keep it as a separate page?
Miriam
The carboys I get come with plastic wicker baskets that have handles built in. I keep the carboys in them at all times, even in the sink when I'm washing/sanitizing. Like Oskaar, I always work wearing rubber gloves for better grip. I confess I hadn't thought of safety, but have been avoiding expensive breakage (they can slip right through my carpal-tunnely hands).
Every manual job has safety issues. To make soap, I just about put on armor: vapor-proof white mask covers nose and mouth, either safety goggles or full, clear mask to protect eyes, gloves, big PVC apron, closed shoes. Not fun to wear all that when it's hot, and soapmaking is energetic, hot work anyway - but there are enough true stories of lye burns among soapers that I won't take risks. And I only soap when no-one else is around except my trained assistant. God forbid that anyone ignorant should get into the lye or new, caustic soap. Let everyone enjoy the soap when it's cured and mild; that's good enough.
The obvious thing to me was to avoid inhaling sulfite fumes. When I mix up a new batch of pot meta solution, I usually wear one of my vapor-proof masks. The other reason I wear gloves when sanitizing is to protect my skin. That stuff is fierce. Those things come naturally to me after years of making soap. But I had not thought of dangers involved in shattered carboys.
What other safety issues are there in brewing? For example, we've had threads on the possible toxicity of herbal ingredients. That sets up a question in my mind: is it possible to make, by neglect or mistake, a truly toxic wine/mead? I'm thinking of bacterial infection here.
It might be useful to set up brewing safety guidelines. I've never seen much mentioned in books (except about sulfite fumes), nor online. In contrast, every soapmaking book, manual, or online site has clear explanations about safety.
If people contribute ideas, I'd be willing to edit the material and post it here - or maybe Vicky, in her abundant spare time : could keep it as a separate page?
Miriam