Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

There are times when a good thing to do is put one or both hands in my pockets before doing something else.

In the late 1970s (yes, I am that old), a college professor was working with us know-nothing students in an electrical engineering lab. The experiment of the week involved a little higher-than-normal voltage. As usual, we students didn’t know what we were doing, so the professor intervened. We noted that he first put one hand deep into a pants pocket before reaching out with the other hand.

We later learned that one-hand-in-the-pocket was a safety measure. If one hand became hung up in an electrical circuit, the other hand would be safe and useful in calming the emergency.

We later learned that sometimes you put both hands deeply in your pockets before entering a situation. There are times when I shouldn’t touch anything. Such as with high-voltage rooms, guns, and other possibly life-threatening items. Both hands deeply in your pockets. There, no possibility of touching something that I shouldn’t touch. Both hands deeply in your pockets also prevents touching something of great temptation that I shouldn’t touch (someone else’s super cute baby is one such situation).

The hand or hands in the pockets rule has saved me many times. I recall one was Christmas Day of 1982 when a technician was showing me an electrical fault that was deadly. The technician neglected to warn me ahead of time. Having both hands in my pockets prevented me from touching a piece of equipment that was “hot,” i.e., would have knocked me out on the floor had I put my hand on it.

Remember the one or both hands in the pocket idea. Use it more often than you think you should. It could save you.