Worst workplace incident/accident?
Discussion
handpaper said:
captain_cynic said:
An old story passed around the mining circles of Western Australia was that there was a gas leak at an LNG storage facility, the only reason two people sitting in an idling car noticed it was because the engine started racing. This is a story passed around the pub, so no idea if it's true or not.
Perfectly credible, particularly if the car was a diesel. In the sixties I went on a school trip to steelworks somewhere in the lakes. It was a very H&S orientated affair - especially for the time - since, the previous week, a lad had dipped his hand in a vat of molten metal. Apparently, he lost his arm above the elbow but felt very little pain.................
avinalarf said:
Behind my shop in East London there was a skip truck site.
A mechanic was working underneath a truck when a driver drove into the site and didn't notice the guy and lowered his skip onto him.
Trucks are bloody lethal. A mechanic was working underneath a truck when a driver drove into the site and didn't notice the guy and lowered his skip onto him.
I got a job laying tarmac for a local contractor whilst I was at University, He used to pick me in his 8 wheeler wagon and we'd go to the quarry to pick up a load of tarmac for the job. He told me about some horrific accidents, the one that sticks in my mind happened to a mate of his:
The easiest way to get the back of the wagon clean after shifting tarmac was to get the plant to drop a load of red hot sand into the back. It would soften all the tarmac deposits and soak it up, All you had to do then was find a quiet corner and tip it out. One driver tipped up the body and nothing came out, he went round the back to check all was well and ended up buried in about 10 tonnes of red hot sand.
Another truck related story: My dad used to drive oil tankers (4 and 6 wheelers) delivering heating oil. He'd come back from a delivery in south Manchester (to a factory I think) and was coming down the A6 through Hazel Grove and Highlane, with lots of traffic as it was school chucking out time. The wagon steering didn't feel right so he went steady. When he got back to the yard he drove the wagon into workshop and had one of the fitters jack it up to check it. As soon as the fitter touched the front wheel it fell off...
RTB said:
Another truck related story: My dad used to drive oil tankers (4 and 6 wheelers) delivering heating oil. He'd come back from a delivery in south Manchester (to a factory I think) and was coming down the A6 through Hazel Grove and Highlane, with lots of traffic as it was school chucking out time. The wagon steering didn't feel right so he went steady. When he got back to the yard he drove the wagon into workshop and had one of the fitters jack it up to check it. As soon as the fitter touched the front wheel it fell off...
Not sure of the current stats but every year 7 people used to die from wheels coming off large goods vehicles. Here's a sobering quote from the Inst Road Transport Engineers on wheel security "When a wheel becomes detached from a heavy vehicle it may simply come to rest without causing any further damage or harm. However, in the wrong circumstances, when wheels become detached from a moving vehicle, they can accelerate up to around 150 km per hour, going out of control like a bouncing bomb, reaching a height of 50 metres before colliding with other vehicles or road users at an equivalent force of 10 tonnes."After investigating some incidents and seeing CCTV footage of these things whanging into oncoming traffic I got utterly paranoid about motorway night driving for a time. Thanks to better procedures and improved design it's less of a risk, but even so, one chimpanzee with an air impact nut driver can undo all the good work.
FiF said:
RTB said:
Another truck related story: My dad used to drive oil tankers (4 and 6 wheelers) delivering heating oil. He'd come back from a delivery in south Manchester (to a factory I think) and was coming down the A6 through Hazel Grove and Highlane, with lots of traffic as it was school chucking out time. The wagon steering didn't feel right so he went steady. When he got back to the yard he drove the wagon into workshop and had one of the fitters jack it up to check it. As soon as the fitter touched the front wheel it fell off...
Not sure of the current stats but every year 7 people used to die from wheels coming off large goods vehicles. Here's a sobering quote from the Inst Road Transport Engineers on wheel security "When a wheel becomes detached from a heavy vehicle it may simply come to rest without causing any further damage or harm. However, in the wrong circumstances, when wheels become detached from a moving vehicle, they can accelerate up to around 150 km per hour, going out of control like a bouncing bomb, reaching a height of 50 metres before colliding with other vehicles or road users at an equivalent force of 10 tonnes."After investigating some incidents and seeing CCTV footage of these things whanging into oncoming traffic I got utterly paranoid about motorway night driving for a time. Thanks to better procedures and improved design it's less of a risk, but even so, one chimpanzee with an air impact nut driver can undo all the good work.
Working at London Bridge City
xmas eve two blokes sent to close gate to Hays Galleria
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5...
this was an automated gate not yet wired in
they pulled it across the opening
it came off runners,
landed on one of them the other dived clear
the unlucky one died from crush injuries.
xmas eve two blokes sent to close gate to Hays Galleria
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5...
this was an automated gate not yet wired in
they pulled it across the opening
it came off runners,
landed on one of them the other dived clear
the unlucky one died from crush injuries.
TooMany2cvs said:
FiF said:
RTB said:
Another truck related story: My dad used to drive oil tankers (4 and 6 wheelers) delivering heating oil. He'd come back from a delivery in south Manchester (to a factory I think) and was coming down the A6 through Hazel Grove and Highlane, with lots of traffic as it was school chucking out time. The wagon steering didn't feel right so he went steady. When he got back to the yard he drove the wagon into workshop and had one of the fitters jack it up to check it. As soon as the fitter touched the front wheel it fell off...
Not sure of the current stats but every year 7 people used to die from wheels coming off large goods vehicles. Here's a sobering quote from the Inst Road Transport Engineers on wheel security "When a wheel becomes detached from a heavy vehicle it may simply come to rest without causing any further damage or harm. However, in the wrong circumstances, when wheels become detached from a moving vehicle, they can accelerate up to around 150 km per hour, going out of control like a bouncing bomb, reaching a height of 50 metres before colliding with other vehicles or road users at an equivalent force of 10 tonnes."After investigating some incidents and seeing CCTV footage of these things whanging into oncoming traffic I got utterly paranoid about motorway night driving for a time. Thanks to better procedures and improved design it's less of a risk, but even so, one chimpanzee with an air impact nut driver can undo all the good work.
My brother in metalwork class (would have been about '78) didn't tuck his tie into his apron/shirt.
Tie catches the spinning chuck, jerks him forward and in doing so he collides with the emergency stop, which saved his face and probably his life.
I don't imagine that children are allowed to wear ties anywhere near lathes these days.
Tie catches the spinning chuck, jerks him forward and in doing so he collides with the emergency stop, which saved his face and probably his life.
I don't imagine that children are allowed to wear ties anywhere near lathes these days.
SCEtoAUX said:
My brother in metalwork class (would have been about '78) didn't tuck his tie into his apron/shirt.
Tie catches the spinning chuck, jerks him forward and in doing so he collides with the emergency stop, which saved his face and probably his life.
I don't imagine that children are allowed to wear ties anywhere near lathes these days.
We had to leave our ties in the closet outside the Design & Technology workshops at school, and that's going back to twenty years ago or so.Tie catches the spinning chuck, jerks him forward and in doing so he collides with the emergency stop, which saved his face and probably his life.
I don't imagine that children are allowed to wear ties anywhere near lathes these days.
Pretty sensible policy
Playing rugby and a friend collapsed to the floor screaming. Ran over to help him and saw bone sticking out of his sock 
A friend of mine worked at an an aircraft engine test facility over Peterborough way. Apparently a member of staff was using headphones when the call to vacate the room was issued. Engine was powered up and all that was left of him was a pinkish splat on the wall. However I’m not sure if it’s a case of workplace myths. My friend seemed pretty sincere but could have been taking the piss.
A friend of mine worked at an an aircraft engine test facility over Peterborough way. Apparently a member of staff was using headphones when the call to vacate the room was issued. Engine was powered up and all that was left of him was a pinkish splat on the wall. However I’m not sure if it’s a case of workplace myths. My friend seemed pretty sincere but could have been taking the piss.
A kid in woodwork was using a 3/4 Inch chisel the shave out a grove. Snag is,
he had the sharp end pointing towards his stomach and yes, he slipped.
After his unintentional hara kiri attempt an ambulance was called.
I recall his being carried past lying supine on a stretcher, and wondering what he was
so excited about.
He lived and, surprisingly, so did Sir.
he had the sharp end pointing towards his stomach and yes, he slipped.
After his unintentional hara kiri attempt an ambulance was called.
I recall his being carried past lying supine on a stretcher, and wondering what he was
so excited about.
He lived and, surprisingly, so did Sir.
Losing fingers runs in my family, dad worked in a bakery. One of their main machines had a gearbox fault which would have shut the production line down for a couple of days. Someone figured out that each time it jammed it just needed poked in the gearbox to get it moving again. Machine jammed, my dad reached into the gear box to poke it and someone started it up again before he got his hand clear ripping his ring finger off.
A few months later my uncle lost his ring finger in a baling machine.
Another uncle was doing a parachute jump whilst in the RAF, as he left the plane his wedding ring caught in the handle above the door and the finger stayed behind.
A few months later my uncle lost his ring finger in a baling machine.
Another uncle was doing a parachute jump whilst in the RAF, as he left the plane his wedding ring caught in the handle above the door and the finger stayed behind.
Used to work in a factory environment so minor injuries were pretty commonplace. As a first aider I'd normally have to treat someone once a week with a cut from a sharp burr, or metallic dust in the eye. Nothing a bit of tlc and the pink apron (a little in-joke, whoever got treated by a first aider had to wear a pink hi-vi for the rest of their shift) wouldn't sort out.
Worst one I personally saw was a buddy lose his finger in a grinding machine. Hadn't isolated the machine properly and when he went to remove a grinding wheel, the machine span the wheel up and took his finger with it. At first it didn't look awful, skin ground down into the bone between the knuckle and the first joint, but when he went to hospital they had to amputate it.
I remember coming in one morning and was told to go back home. When I noticed that everybody else was being sent home, so I wasn't in trouble, I thought "result!" - must be an electrical failure or maybe the ventilation's packed up. It soon became less of a celebration when we found out that one of the contractors who was working night shift had enjoyed a few too many beers before his shift, and was running a circular saw without the guard in place. When performing a cut, the saw kicked back and went through his neck. He died instantly.
Also remember seeing one of the areas we worked in cordoned off. One of the machines was effectively a circular bandsaw (think a saw that moves in a circle around the workpiece), and the control panel had been damaged. The guy using the machine stuck his hand into it, thinking it wasn't running as the lights were off. It was indeed switched on, and he lost his hand.
Worst one I personally saw was a buddy lose his finger in a grinding machine. Hadn't isolated the machine properly and when he went to remove a grinding wheel, the machine span the wheel up and took his finger with it. At first it didn't look awful, skin ground down into the bone between the knuckle and the first joint, but when he went to hospital they had to amputate it.
I remember coming in one morning and was told to go back home. When I noticed that everybody else was being sent home, so I wasn't in trouble, I thought "result!" - must be an electrical failure or maybe the ventilation's packed up. It soon became less of a celebration when we found out that one of the contractors who was working night shift had enjoyed a few too many beers before his shift, and was running a circular saw without the guard in place. When performing a cut, the saw kicked back and went through his neck. He died instantly.
Also remember seeing one of the areas we worked in cordoned off. One of the machines was effectively a circular bandsaw (think a saw that moves in a circle around the workpiece), and the control panel had been damaged. The guy using the machine stuck his hand into it, thinking it wasn't running as the lights were off. It was indeed switched on, and he lost his hand.
Edited by Second Best on Thursday 20th September 20:42
Edited by Second Best on Thursday 20th September 20:43
magpie215 said:
Circular saws and bandsaws seem to have a good hit rate.
It's become a fairly interesting if a little macabre thread.
Yup, though it was quite good news for me because I got to photograph the "hand" in two bits including the view of the cut into the wrist with all the bones just sat neatly in place. In fact, they are quite useful to be cut by if you are going to be cut badly because it often is a clean slice and surgical repairs seem generally quite successful....It's become a fairly interesting if a little macabre thread.
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