As a former Health and Safety Rep, I've seen some accidents. The place I worked at had the same safety average as 'Nam on a good day, brutal.

My alternate crushed his hand lifting with a crane and six months later, when he was healed, he crushed the same hand lowering with a crane.

Buddy lost his finger, almost his whole hand, to a high pressure undercoater injecting fluid into his finger.

Weirdest one, there were actually three requiring hospitalization, was caused by changing drill bits without disconnecting air lines. These were t-bar drill that you used to drill floors while standing. So, when you turned them upside down to change bits, guess where the bit was? Tighten the bit, move your foot to get a better grip, step on the trigger, big ouch. Drill would catch front of coverall, work pants, and twist....

My worst was almost losing my ring finger when a piece of spatter landed on it. I was on my way out when somebody noticed that I had forgotten to tack a piece on. I just grabbed the part and tacked it, no gloves. Fortunately, dad was a doctor and I had seen the medical books on this kind of injury. I pulled the ring off right away. This happened at 6:45am, by 9am, at the doctors, the blister was the size of my ring and they had to take skin off 3/4 of the way around the finger. I had to keep stretching the new skin for weeks. Ouch.

There are those who suggest that my safety militancy put the place into bankruptcy. I don't care about that. To me, it was self-defense. When I left the stats showed it was a safer place and nobody died under my watch. Good.

Glad you're okay and now become a lesson for others.

Remember, experience is not the best teacher, it is the worst: there are usually no second chances and it usually hurts. Somebody else's experience is the best teacher. Nice of you to fill in, ha.

So, does this affect the trombone?