Safety Best Practices

[YME2019]

Hi there! I am new to pyrotechnics. I have made some Gerbs, and that's about it. I would like to get some ideas for good safety practices. Obviously, I already have some ideas, but I just watched Ned Gorski's video on safety and it scared me a bit. I enjoyed making the Gerbs and seeing the fruits of my work, but I want to keep my face, stay out of jail, and not burn my house down.

 

I am into rocketry and I have had some close calls operating under the "Don't do anything stupid" protocol. I told myself that if I was going to continue investigating pyro and experimental rocketry, I had to get some hard and fast safety rules to live by. From my experience, the thing that would kill me, probably wouldn't seem stupid at the time. That, or I just don't know enough to be afraid of it.

 

Since all of you have more experience than me; what do you do to stay safe, out of jail, and avoid property damage?

[Ubehage]

To stay out of jail, read your local laws and obey them In some countries, even though pyro is illegal, it is possible to get permission.

 

I have a few "golden rules", that I think I can pass on without taking too much time or becoming too boring:

1. Never make fireworks in a home. NEVER!

1.a. Never make fireworks in a residential area. You should have at least 80 meters to the nearest neigbour. AT LEAST!

This is not only for their safety, but also for your insurance and good neighbouring

2. Always wear cotton clothing. Some people say you should wear thick clothing. My personal preference is whatever I'm currently wearing

But COTTON CLOTHING! Nothing else!

2.a. Also check your shoes for static charging. You don't want to build up a static charge while you're doing pyro.

3. Glasses are mandatory safety-equipment. Some people choose not to wear them, because they trust themself to know what they are doing.

In this matter, NEVER TRUST ANYONE BUT YOURSELF! In pyro, you can never trust anyone to not do something foolish or fail. Period.

 

Bonus rule:

Black powder is for fun and training your skills and techniques.

Anything else is only for "know what you're doing"-use.

[pyrokid]

Read, read, read!

 

As a beginner, if there's something you are uncertain about, you can nearly be sure that the topic has been addressed in one text or forum or another.