Worst workplace incident/accident?
Discussion
magpie215 said:
Working in an aircraft maintenance facility someone had inadvertently connected up the wrong Hydraulic servicing rig.
This particular rig had no relief valve and relied on the aircrafts own systems to keep the pressure in limits.
Unfortunately the aircraft it had been connected to didn't have a relief valve in its own system.......anyway eventually as the system pressure built and built........BANG.....the loudest bang I've ever experienced and I was a long way from ground zero.
I did a stint testing thermal imagers years ago. In those days the detectors were cooled to near absolute zero to reduce noise using liquid air that was created by compressing air to 6,000 psi then releasing it through a tiny tube to atmosphere causing the compressed air to liquefy.This particular rig had no relief valve and relied on the aircrafts own systems to keep the pressure in limits.
Unfortunately the aircraft it had been connected to didn't have a relief valve in its own system.......anyway eventually as the system pressure built and built........BANG.....the loudest bang I've ever experienced and I was a long way from ground zero.
Anyway when testing a thermal imager you are looking at tiny changes in shades of red so it's best to have all lights out and work in pitch darkness, often in a cramped test rig with metal stuff all around you. One day a seal went completely on a 6,000psi gas bottle about 1 metre from my head. Jeepers the bang was HUUUUUUGE. Not sure my heart has kept a natural rhythm ever since.
No harm done, just was reminded by your tale.
Worst one I witnessed was someone tripped on his boot lace and grabbed out to stop his fall and grabbed a high speed band saw blade.
It took all four fingers off fairly cleanly near the middle finger joints but fortunately the surgeons did a superb job sticking them back on meaning he was back at work in a few months.
It took all four fingers off fairly cleanly near the middle finger joints but fortunately the surgeons did a superb job sticking them back on meaning he was back at work in a few months.
Old ship of mine, a stoker managed to sink HMS Endurance, 6,500 tonnes of Royal Nay Warship.
Service Enquiry
Service Enquiry
I know of a couple of bad ones. A friend of mine worked at a wood chipping plant. Alone one night shift he was putting wood into the chipper when it jammed. Using his foot to push it through cost him his leg up to the knee. Had to pull himself out of the thing and crawl to get help. Cost his employers more than £1m.
A supplier of mine that made plastic kayaks managed to cook an employee in the ovens.
A supplier of mine that made plastic kayaks managed to cook an employee in the ovens.
Commerical printers, large rubber rollers and another roller with the printing plate. These rollers are about 6 feet across and 18 inches deep.
After the print run, the rollers need to be cleaned, this should be done at crawl setting with the operative using a cleaning fluid on a cloth, takes around 15 minutes. That day, the man at the controls was in a hurry and wanted the cleaning done quickly. The cleaner was pulled through between the two rollers up to his shoulders before the machine broke.
After the print run, the rollers need to be cleaned, this should be done at crawl setting with the operative using a cleaning fluid on a cloth, takes around 15 minutes. That day, the man at the controls was in a hurry and wanted the cleaning done quickly. The cleaner was pulled through between the two rollers up to his shoulders before the machine broke.
As mentioned on page 1 steelworks can be dodgy. Suicide by jumping into, or more correctly onto, 140 tonnes of molten steel in a ladle. Horrific.
A story to lighten the mood. Electric arc melting shop. Melter standing near the furnace heard the noise of it about to blow, turned and ran, but tripped and fell in line with the furnace charging door. As he hit the deck, he heard it go, and his last thought as he passed out was "Well that's me done"
Next thing he gradually regains consciousness, his feet feel a bit hot, and he thought "The b
ds, they've sent me down to hell."
In reality the furnace had blown, but not badly, some steel and slag had run out across the floor, stopped short of him, and his feet felt hot as his boots were on fire.
Lucky lucky lucky.
A story to lighten the mood. Electric arc melting shop. Melter standing near the furnace heard the noise of it about to blow, turned and ran, but tripped and fell in line with the furnace charging door. As he hit the deck, he heard it go, and his last thought as he passed out was "Well that's me done"
Next thing he gradually regains consciousness, his feet feel a bit hot, and he thought "The b
ds, they've sent me down to hell."In reality the furnace had blown, but not badly, some steel and slag had run out across the floor, stopped short of him, and his feet felt hot as his boots were on fire.
Lucky lucky lucky.
Robbo 27 said:
Commerical printers, large rubber rollers and another roller with the printing plate. These rollers are about 6 feet across and 18 inches deep.
After the print run, the rollers need to be cleaned, this should be done at crawl setting with the operative using a cleaning fluid on a cloth, takes around 15 minutes. That day, the man at the controls was in a hurry and wanted the cleaning done quickly. The cleaner was pulled through between the two rollers up to his shoulders before the machine broke.
This has happened at our place, crushed the printers arm when the emergency stop failed. We also had a guys leg crushed when he tried to stop a ton of steel falling on him. Someone also had a thumb ripped right off, 2 ft long tendons and all on another machine in the plant.After the print run, the rollers need to be cleaned, this should be done at crawl setting with the operative using a cleaning fluid on a cloth, takes around 15 minutes. That day, the man at the controls was in a hurry and wanted the cleaning done quickly. The cleaner was pulled through between the two rollers up to his shoulders before the machine broke.
One of my ex colleagues was bragging about how good a driver he is, hadn't had an accident for over 20 years etc etc, he took a bus that had only just been painted out on a run, drove round the back of the depot he was laying over at and proceeded to rip the depot door off its rollers with the side of the bus.
Flat Wayne used to be just plain ol’ Wayne, until he was run over by a steel-wheeled compactor on an active landfill site. For those unsure what that looks like...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15128775@N03/3407062...
Luckily, and enabling Wayne to gain the humourous moniker ‘Flat’ he was on the waste at the time and was pushed into the decomposing mass, which saved his life. Walks with a limp.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15128775@N03/3407062...
Luckily, and enabling Wayne to gain the humourous moniker ‘Flat’ he was on the waste at the time and was pushed into the decomposing mass, which saved his life. Walks with a limp.
Once saw a guy almost slice his thumb off with a piece of thin sheet steel. The first aid guy fainted at the sight so myself and another guy pushed the partially severed thumb back in to place and wrapped his hand in a piece of oily rag. Huge amounts of blood on the workshop floor and me. Ambulance took him away* and me and the other guy were sent home for the rest of the day to "recover from the shock". Odd thing is that seeing a partially severed thumb had no effect on me, I can picture the seen today. One thing I cannot do without feeling very queasy is watch or read about extreme violence. I have no problem watching medical procedure.
- Thumb saved, almost full feeling/use returned,
Long time ago now but i worked on the gas production platforms in the southern North sea.
A helicopter was on deck about to lift off when a heli marshall inadvertently walked round the
front of the aircraft and was hit by the blades.It was messy, it was blamed on both marshall and pilot.
Luckily i was on leave at the time.
A helicopter was on deck about to lift off when a heli marshall inadvertently walked round the
front of the aircraft and was hit by the blades.It was messy, it was blamed on both marshall and pilot.
Luckily i was on leave at the time.
A couple -
First was a guy I worked with at a chocolate factory maybe 14 years ago. Pushing a load of truffle style filling into two rollers to extrude on a belt, pushed to far and the e stop failed. Lost his middle digit. I get a call over to come and strip the machine down do look for a severed finger. My stomach turned at the thought, but I found it amongst the strawberry mousse filling.
Worked in a printers and heard a suicide story of a guy picking up a reel of paper on a grab truck, lifted it about 16ft in the air and then dropped it on himself , must be about a ton landing on him.
Third one, not work related though. When we were playing an under 15's football game, was giving our star striker a foot up to hook the nets over the goalposts. He slipped, slid down the post and caught his nutsack on those hooks which secure the net. The gaffer runs over and carries him to his car, ballbag and hanging teste in one hand, super striker over his shoulder.
First was a guy I worked with at a chocolate factory maybe 14 years ago. Pushing a load of truffle style filling into two rollers to extrude on a belt, pushed to far and the e stop failed. Lost his middle digit. I get a call over to come and strip the machine down do look for a severed finger. My stomach turned at the thought, but I found it amongst the strawberry mousse filling.
Worked in a printers and heard a suicide story of a guy picking up a reel of paper on a grab truck, lifted it about 16ft in the air and then dropped it on himself , must be about a ton landing on him.
Third one, not work related though. When we were playing an under 15's football game, was giving our star striker a foot up to hook the nets over the goalposts. He slipped, slid down the post and caught his nutsack on those hooks which secure the net. The gaffer runs over and carries him to his car, ballbag and hanging teste in one hand, super striker over his shoulder.
A friends dad used to work in the bottling hall of a rather famous northeast brewery and was walking on top of the bottles on the line and he slipped and went between the bottles and rollers underneath them, crushed his leg up to the knee. Ended his working life and most of his previous hobbies etc. Got a massive payout from the brewery though.
It’s amazing how most of these seem to be people flaunting health and safety protections
It’s amazing how most of these seem to be people flaunting health and safety protections
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