a friend of mine one suggested a rule to determine when you might consider not taking a risk. the basic rule (paraphrased) is:
if you would be embarrassed describing how you got hurt to the medical personnel treating you, you should seriously reconsider your actions.
last night, i conspired to violate the hospital rule: with a straight faces, a colleague suggested that he climb a step ladder, onto his roof (steep pitched, metal, and covered with snow), and fire roman candles.
it seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution to the problem we faced and i agreed to climb up on mine with the cordless phone and binoculars. his wife vetoed and unknowingly invoked the hospital rule. probably best; explaining how he got the burns and broken bones in the same accident might have… well… violated the hospital rule.