hotfezz
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This one's from Steve http://imgur.com/user/gtfwithyoblt
This twat blanket was serious
Engineer's reaction
Turns out there's a fair few of you out there with experience of this (near death and anecdotal...) so if you'd like, PM me and I'll include them if I ever do another one of these!
pyr666
being in a room when a gas extinguisher system goes off is the most pant-shittingly-terrifying things ever.
ratchethatchet
"That room flooded in oil that we got you to clean up without providing proper PPE wrecked your boots? Use flammable brake cleaner on them."
ratchethatchet
I work in a fab shop. There's welding and fire happening all the time. (Fab stands for 'fabulous'.)
ManFromFlorida
Electrical engineering usually has the same sort of thing, except electrocution instead of being set on fire. Or both. Usually both.
jtl3
EE, can confirm. Just built an induction furnace as a personal project -- molten copper...just like work! Both!
JonSnowNotedWindmillExpert
"For the meantime it needs to stay where it sits currently. It's a load bearing porta-potty."
thatget1
I really hope you're either joking or lying.
butcheredatbirth
As a millwright I can confirm, engineers are fucking dumbasses
pobody
As an engineer, I can confirm engineers are dumbasses.
Musamura0987
"Dont go on the scaffold while health reps are here""Are the scaffolds legal?" "The scaffolds arent 'illegal' but they need railings"
RunsOnPizza
Trust me, I'm an engineer!
Trilana
Engineers appraising an old bridge in our city were quoted as saying "I can tell you it's standing, but I can't tell you how..."
Iaimtomisbehave
"Yes, it would be a good idea to put the safety restraints back on the pipe before we pressurize the carbonator."
Zipp4Real
Had a friend turn on a bunson burner without lighting the gas, left it on to walk away and get other things. This in a small room... He ded.
Zipp4Real
No, i actually turned it of when i saw him leave it and told him how stupid he was. Its amazing some people are still alive.
xkr73
This is the kinda shit that makes me giggle so hard
RyanMcParty
"The building would collapse before we'd have to worry about what kind of damage fire would do."
AmbiguouslyPunny
Holy shit; that sounds like something like the civil engineer in twin towers would say
RyanMcParty
To be fair, the fire damage really isn't a concern once you pass a certain threshold of destruction.
AmbiguouslyPunny
Agreed
Thisismy1stposteveriswear
If there is a fire, due to faulty wiring or the fireworks factory downstairs, you will be incinerated....
alexburgers
Hah, Eurotrip. :D
ablindbear
"Well, it's never made that sound before. Don't worry about it. If it explodes, you'll die instantly"
TheOriginalBigDave
"Oh, it makes that noise sometimes. Just hit it with a deadblow hammer, it'll be fine."
oldred87ford
Doing government engineering. Said close enough for government work. He looked at me and paused. Said he never realized how relevant it was.
paul289
Automotive aftermarket: Someone's gonna find a way to break this, so how do we make it break so they don't kill themselves and bystanders?
BingoNightandmemories
The people who designed things never met the people who fix said things.....
LegacyMuse
Volkswagen, I'm looking at you. You should not have to remove the front of a car to do the spark plugs.
MagpieChristine
More of a problem (and more common) is that the people who designed things never met the people who *made* said things.
UncivilizedEngie
As an intern, I know this is true. I cursed at the draftspeople so many times on the plant.
wam3483
"Complexity tends to complicate things."
yourbassist
Can we have a conversation about plenum space? Being concerned about toxic fumes from a fire in the ceiling just rustles my jimmies.
LackingIngenuity
As a safety engineer, I think a rebuttal is in order. 'Stupid shit I've seen people do' or 'tales of keeping the Darwin Award winners alive'
Litcube
Ahem to that.
mathnerd314
I approve of this typo.
basicwhitelich
I worked next to a sign the read "DANGER: ARC FLASH" for two years before I got on safety committee and learned what it meant.
LackingIngenuity
Sounds like your safety engineer was doing a good job
Locolarue
I work next to the power switcher stuff in my grocery store. There's all kinds of arc flash warnings on it. A technician friend told me...
ProudAussie
That happened at the Morley Gallaria recently. Google it if you wish
soniclettuce
My friend was making safety labels for a hydro plant. "safe" radius (to have second degree burns from an arc)... 75 feet from the breaker
basicwhitelich
The video they showed me had a maniquin poking a breaker with a screwdriver. Instantly turned its torso to carbon. Still gives me nightmares
fishflakes
"It's not our fault that the server room wasn't lightning proof."
SoberAndBored
Marconi Ltd?
fishflakes
No, but it's interesting to know that this has happened to more than one company.
SoberAndBored
It was my dad doing the project.Kuwait. Something technical to do with them moving the earthing cable from where the spec put it.
fishflakes
"We forgot to factor in elevation, so the blimp is going to have to be a little bigger." "How much bigger?" "umm...900% bigger...at least"
data2dyne
this one made me laugh the hardest, thank you @fishflakes
Pookeenee
As an engineering tech in a plant that day one said "if something goes wrong, this, and a few miles from here are doomed" all my +1's!!!
Ringshadow
"Does the chemical plant have contingencies for us?" "Oh, no, we have contingencies for the chemical plant." - Waterford 3 NPP
Pookeenee
That sounds about right, semiconductor plant near aluminum manufacturing, produce manufacturing, and safety gear manufacturing,all explosive
MoreAwesomerDan
well at least you'll go quick if that plant goes...
erroniousmaximus
you hope.... if you don't die immediately your're gonna wish you had within about 4-5 days
MoreAwesomerDan
Seriously, I went through a class on HAZMAT and saw videos in fire school, it's the worst.
erroniousmaximus
as much as i didn't like the movie, Chernobyl diaries actually portrays extreme radiation exposure pretty accurately.
erroniousmaximus
i wasn't talking about fire per say. i had the impression this was a nuclear power plant. radiation sickness from what i hear is god awful.
Pookeenee
Its actually a electronics manufactuing plant (wafer fab), most chemicals we have here explode in presence of O2, or are toxic in open air.
MoreAwesomerDan
it's not just fire related hazmat, as a first responder firefighters can get called to all kinds of hazmat situations
ZeroDarkJoe
As an engineer who works in a large and hazardous industry, I love these.
AirlineGeek
As a not engineer who works in a large and hazardous industry...Me too.
A96B11G
As an engineer that works in an industry where minimizing hazard is the first priority, I love them too.
OllaniusPius
What hazardous industry would that be?
ZeroDarkJoe
I work at a steel mill, very large machines, molten metal, and lots of hazardous chemicals.
ZeroDarkJoe
I work at a steel mill, very large machines, molten metal, and hazardous chemicals.
ZeroDarkJoe
I work at a steel mill, very large machines, molten metal, and lots of hazardous chemicals.
acertainjenesaisquoi
"What about an evacuation?" "Oh don't worry about that, our blast radius is too big for it to be effective" Conversation between officers.
[deleted]
[deleted]
acertainjenesaisquoi
We don't even go that far. We just laugh and walk away, laughing harder and harder the further we get until we turn a corner.
Pookeenee
Ive had this convo! "if this blows, youre dead anyways, so you might as well dance on the way out." love my job
MajorLeagueFister
"Hey, are those friendly mortars landing over there?" "Yeah" "Should we move?" "Nah, they're cross training scouts, they can't hit shit"
9point3x62
I had that exact conversation in an artillery position surrounded by explosive shells during a lightning storm.
acertainjenesaisquoi
Our was between the Navs and STON officer on board during a fire in an emptied fuel tank. Fun times.
Keeperkid
It's ok, they test for direct lightning strikes. Of course I'm assuming you're US military here... others aren't so lucky.
9point3x62
I've detonated C4 with a 9 volt battery and a stripped wire. I can assure you a lightning strike or near miss would detonate HE rounds.
Keeperkid
And thats why we dont use c4 as artillery shell filler, it's electronically initiated. If legitimately interested Google e3 testing.
A96B11G
To be fair it's pretty unlikely that lightning would set off an artillery shell, it's unlikely enough that it would ever hit it directly.
Waddafaq
did u ded?
krauraurgg
Yes, but it's okay. Heaven has good wifi.
Dooood
I'd hope Google Fiber, at least.
JT64
hmm, I had the same conversation at a power plant.
54r4h
...I live down wind of such a plant. How much explode would there be, and how far would the fiery bits go?
JT64
depends on the power plant, the one I was at had around 60,000 gallons off propane on hand, which is not very common. Most plants in the 1/2
JT64
2/2 US are coal so the "boom" would depend on size and type of plant, also if its coal it depends on how clean they keep it.
CleverUserNameNoOneElseThoughtOf
Calculating evacuation of a city next to a nuke plant - similar dialogue.
barnwolf
So a nuclear power plant might contaminate a cities water supply or something, but it's not like there wouldn't be time to evacuate the city
snipekill1997
Even fucking Chernobyl wasn't like a nuclear bomb going off, it was a steam explosion caused by the meltdown. And it will never happen again
Ravensdagger
Sarcasm? Cause, you know.... Fukushima Daiichi....
grim5000
nuclear reactors don't explode, that requires weapons grade uranium, WHICH THEY DON'T USE
Ravensdagger
I didn't say explode. But the person who did said 'steam explosion.' It's a small difference, but it's certainly there.
herc18
Chernobyl was a special kind of stupidity. They didn't have the equivalent...
herc18
Ok i can't even come up with the sheer amount of safety they didn't have. They didn't have concrete walls around their reactors.
snipekill1997
Fukushima Daiichi released 17% that of Chernobyl, and reactor designs keep getting safer (if you morons would let them be built) 1/2
Ravensdagger
" (if you morons would let them be built)"
snipekill1997
And I don't remember either city going up in a nuclear fireball, one doctor and one cameraman died, everyone else was a fireman or employee.
Ravensdagger
Now, now. I'm pro-nuclear. I'm just saying that we (as humans) done goofed up more than once. It's not good to forget our screw-ups.
AIComments
Halon *DOES NOT* kill by suffocation. When interacting with a fire, it produces HBr, HCl, and HF, which are incidentally bad for you.
hotfezz
My bad; asphyxiation and poisoning
zoeypayne
Don't forget the cancer.
AIComments
It's ok, everyone says suffocation anyway. The important thing is, if a halon system goes of by accident, it won't kill you.
hoopyhoop
If there's no fire, it will displace all of the oxygen. One of my friends had to be dragged out of the control room when system went off.
AIComments
Halon systems do not work by displacement and don't displace enough oxygen unless designed improperly http://h3raviation.com/support_faq.htm
Ginocide
Thank you for going out of your way to cut down misinformation.
moonrhino68
Side note: HBr, HCl, and HF are solids, but you're watery. They'll touch you and turn into concentrated acid and do bad stuff. 2/2
moonrhino68
Holy Jeebus. I'm not sure if I'd rather be in the room on fire or the room full of incredibly strong acid. 1/2
alexburgers
So in short: don't stand around near the actual fire and just calmly GTFO, and you'll be fine.
LackingIngenuity
It's the CO2 suppression systems you should be worrying about
moonrhino68
explain.
LackingIngenuity
CO2 displaces oxygen - don't want to be in a contained area when that stuff goes off. You be dead. Unless of course you have SCBA.
DysgraphicProgrammer
CO2 will displace the oxygen. You will breathe just fine, but there is no oxygen in it. You will feel like you are drowning. you will die.
moonrhino68
boot if CO2 is more dense, wouldn't it just sink and the oxygen would be mixed in the air above it?
DysgraphicProgrammer
At first, yes. Until you get enough CO2 to stack higher. And it will mix a little. After all, there is some CO2 in the air normally.
totalstation
Engineers are needed. But man oh man they should work in the field more often. See how things are actually put together. RFIs for days.
ProbablyDrunkAgain
Most of the time we don't have the budget to go out in the field except for maybe a visit or two from the PM who doesn't design anything.
Rheios
I'm a software engineer and I can say,if there's a lot of requests for info its usually because everybody seems to do things differently(1)
Rheios
so contextually they might even enjoy being out there to get a better idea of the efficiency/inefficiency of what they're developing.(2)
EngineerZero
I have a happy medium between site and office, and agree 100%. I can explain to tradies exactly why we're doing something, and know how
EngineerZero
To call bullshit on senior managers who have their facts wrong regarding work rates etc
Awkwardsaw
Do engineers usually call us 'tradies'?
EngineerZero
In Australia, everyone will call you a tradie. its just our slang. I used to be a tradie til I got my bachelors in civil eng.
NickFurryTheSecond
As an Aussie and training engineer, all Aussies call tradespeople "tradies", nothing specific to engineering.
GaryFreakinOak
The intelligence gap can be found between two pointy tufts of hair that wander around the office in an empty suit.
graehall
When the author of that strip came out against evolution, and in support of intelligent design in his work, it tainted him
DescipleOfCthulu
Evolution is ridiculous, the world was clearly designed. Everywhere you look you find evidence of His Lord Noodliness. Open your eyes.
graehall
Ramen.
crookednixon
Well... evolution would not have resulted in a society where the morons are in charge so I can see where he's coming from.
graehall
How can the societies we have be a result of anything but our evolution?
crookednixon
It was a joke that human society is so messed up that humanity couldn't have survived without divine intervention.
graehall
I could see that after you explained it. But it definitely wasn't clear it was a joke based on what you said to which I replied :)
myplacetosaytheshitineversay
Preeeeetty much positive he was joking in the strip you're talking about. Read his blogs and books, he shreds that kind of stuff.
GaryFreakinOak
Do you mean the universe donut theorom?
Comet260
Ummm...whaaaaaaa?
graehall
It's even in the cartoon series - dogbert and Dilbert both dismiss evolution as foolish and advocate ID
Comet260
OMG........Do you have a link to that, perchance?
graehall
Sadly I don't - I was watching the series 4 or 5 years ago on dvd. What is fact is that they said evolution was stupid and promoted ID.
TheEdmontonMan
I know it's 2017 but random brought me here, this iswhat he said http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Scott_Adams#Struggling_to_understand_evolution
myplacetosaytheshitineversay
At least 95% certain Scott Adams doesn't believe in ID. I own several of his books. He regularly lampoons idiotic ideologies and religions.