Worst workplace incident/accident?
Discussion
I've seen a couple.
As a teenager I used to work evenings/weekends at a Butchers. The apprentice was boning the spine bones out of a side of beef with a stiletto type knife, which became jammed between two bones, Rather than backing it out and trying again, he yanked it and the blade snapped leaving him with three inches of knife stuck into his groin. We thought he was joking until he relaxed his hands and blood flowed out from the bottom of his trouser leg. Blue lighted to hospital and survived - he said the 4 tetanus shots hurt more...... In a place full of knives, saws, grinders,cleavers, bacon slicers etc. there were surprisingly few serious injuries, although we had a salt pot on the block for the inevitable small cuts.
Worked as a system engineer for a large computer manufacturer. One of my customers in London had a big computer room, half the kit was ours, the other half was IBM who had their engineer. Once a year the whole room shut down for overnight preventative maintenance, and on this occasion the IBM engineer was late, so rushed in and asked if the system had already been taken down. The operators said it had so he went straight into disconnect the power supply wiring with a screwdriver. Unfortunately the system was switched off but not isolated - he hadn't asked the right question. Their systems were 3 phase - I heard the thump from the other side of the room as he hit the wall which broke his neck.
In the same room a few years later I was sat in the operators "bridge" writing up maintenance logs when a courier came in with back up tapes. To open the door there was a switch next to it inside the room. It was the couriers first (and as it turned out, last) delivery and he'd been told when he had ben given the tapes to return with, ask an operator who will push the button to let him out. He decided to do this himself, but hit the (labelled) power off/halon release button which was also next to the door so that in an emergency the last man out could hit it. There was a look of disbelief as suddenly everything went quiet, then the halon alarm started screaming. Luckily everyone got out of the room before the halon enveloped the place. The courier was fired and the button was moved to above the door jamb.
As a teenager I used to work evenings/weekends at a Butchers. The apprentice was boning the spine bones out of a side of beef with a stiletto type knife, which became jammed between two bones, Rather than backing it out and trying again, he yanked it and the blade snapped leaving him with three inches of knife stuck into his groin. We thought he was joking until he relaxed his hands and blood flowed out from the bottom of his trouser leg. Blue lighted to hospital and survived - he said the 4 tetanus shots hurt more...... In a place full of knives, saws, grinders,cleavers, bacon slicers etc. there were surprisingly few serious injuries, although we had a salt pot on the block for the inevitable small cuts.
Worked as a system engineer for a large computer manufacturer. One of my customers in London had a big computer room, half the kit was ours, the other half was IBM who had their engineer. Once a year the whole room shut down for overnight preventative maintenance, and on this occasion the IBM engineer was late, so rushed in and asked if the system had already been taken down. The operators said it had so he went straight into disconnect the power supply wiring with a screwdriver. Unfortunately the system was switched off but not isolated - he hadn't asked the right question. Their systems were 3 phase - I heard the thump from the other side of the room as he hit the wall which broke his neck.
In the same room a few years later I was sat in the operators "bridge" writing up maintenance logs when a courier came in with back up tapes. To open the door there was a switch next to it inside the room. It was the couriers first (and as it turned out, last) delivery and he'd been told when he had ben given the tapes to return with, ask an operator who will push the button to let him out. He decided to do this himself, but hit the (labelled) power off/halon release button which was also next to the door so that in an emergency the last man out could hit it. There was a look of disbelief as suddenly everything went quiet, then the halon alarm started screaming. Luckily everyone got out of the room before the halon enveloped the place. The courier was fired and the button was moved to above the door jamb.
Not my workplace but it was someone's. My 8 yr old daughter was having horse riding lessons at a stables. They were trotting and the horse suddenly galloped , my daughter lost her grip, went flying, landed on her arm. Compound fracture to her humerus. A supracondylar humerus fracture.
At the hospital the registrar came to take a look. I was directly opposite the wound. He peeled back the dressing and my daughters arm was there with a massive rip in it and a bone poking out. She was high as a kite on medication and had no idea. Accused the Dr of making up the word supracondylar.
I wasnt even there when it happened but I had ptsd type flashbacks for weeks after. The teacher looked shell shocked as well . I'm not squeamish at all but serving your daughters arm bone poking out the skin is horrifying.
Ambulance staff were great and suggested taking her to the JR as the local hospital, Milton Keynes, was a 3rd world hospital in his words.
The amusing part was the trauma surgeon. He was like Lord Flasheart from Blackadder. Before she went for surgery they said she might need plastic surgery on the wound. When she came round and we asked about it he shouted "I stitched it, woof". He didn't actually say the woof but it was implied. Pretty sure he slapped the male anaesthetists arse on his way out. f
king legend.
At the hospital the registrar came to take a look. I was directly opposite the wound. He peeled back the dressing and my daughters arm was there with a massive rip in it and a bone poking out. She was high as a kite on medication and had no idea. Accused the Dr of making up the word supracondylar.
I wasnt even there when it happened but I had ptsd type flashbacks for weeks after. The teacher looked shell shocked as well . I'm not squeamish at all but serving your daughters arm bone poking out the skin is horrifying.
Ambulance staff were great and suggested taking her to the JR as the local hospital, Milton Keynes, was a 3rd world hospital in his words.
The amusing part was the trauma surgeon. He was like Lord Flasheart from Blackadder. Before she went for surgery they said she might need plastic surgery on the wound. When she came round and we asked about it he shouted "I stitched it, woof". He didn't actually say the woof but it was implied. Pretty sure he slapped the male anaesthetists arse on his way out. f
king legend.Reminds me of "The bricklayers lament" by Gerard Hoffnung:
Respected sir,
When I got to the top of the building, I found that the hurricane had knocked down some bricks off the top. So I rigged up a beam, with a pulley, at the top of the building and hoisted up a couple of barrels of bricks.
When I had fixed the building, there was a lot of bricks left over.
I hoisted the barrel back up again and secured the line at the bottom and then went up and filled the barrel with the extra bricks.
Then, I went to the bottom and cast off the rope.
Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was and before I knew what was happening, the barrel started down, jerking me off the ground.
I decided to hang on!
Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down... and received a severe blow on the shoulder.
I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers jammed in the pulley!
When the barrel hit the ground, it burst it's bottom... allowing all the bricks to spill out.
I was now heavier than the barrel and so started down again at high speed!
Halfway down... I met the barrel coming up and received severe injury to my shins!
When I hit the ground... I landed on the bricks, getting several painful cuts from the sharp edges!
At this point... I must have lost my presence of mind... because I let go of the line!
The barrel then came down... giving me a very heavy blow and putting me in hospital!
Respected sir,
When I got to the top of the building, I found that the hurricane had knocked down some bricks off the top. So I rigged up a beam, with a pulley, at the top of the building and hoisted up a couple of barrels of bricks.
When I had fixed the building, there was a lot of bricks left over.
I hoisted the barrel back up again and secured the line at the bottom and then went up and filled the barrel with the extra bricks.
Then, I went to the bottom and cast off the rope.
Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was and before I knew what was happening, the barrel started down, jerking me off the ground.
I decided to hang on!
Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down... and received a severe blow on the shoulder.
I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers jammed in the pulley!
When the barrel hit the ground, it burst it's bottom... allowing all the bricks to spill out.
I was now heavier than the barrel and so started down again at high speed!
Halfway down... I met the barrel coming up and received severe injury to my shins!
When I hit the ground... I landed on the bricks, getting several painful cuts from the sharp edges!
At this point... I must have lost my presence of mind... because I let go of the line!
The barrel then came down... giving me a very heavy blow and putting me in hospital!
Vaud said:
Reminds me of "The bricklayers lament" by Gerard Hoffnung:
Respected sir,
When I got to the top of the building, I found that the hurricane had knocked down some bricks off the top. So I rigged up a beam, with a pulley, at the top of the building and hoisted up a couple of barrels of bricks.
When I had fixed the building, there was a lot of bricks left over.
I hoisted the barrel back up again and secured the line at the bottom and then went up and filled the barrel with the extra bricks.
Then, I went to the bottom and cast off the rope.
Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was and before I knew what was happening, the barrel started down, jerking me off the ground.
I decided to hang on!
Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down... and received a severe blow on the shoulder.
I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers jammed in the pulley!
When the barrel hit the ground, it burst it's bottom... allowing all the bricks to spill out.
I was now heavier than the barrel and so started down again at high speed!
Halfway down... I met the barrel coming up and received severe injury to my shins!
When I hit the ground... I landed on the bricks, getting several painful cuts from the sharp edges!
At this point... I must have lost my presence of mind... because I let go of the line!
The barrel then came down... giving me a very heavy blow and putting me in hospital!
A few people have laid claim to this song, but probably the original writer was Pat Cooksey. Here's the Corries' version.Respected sir,
When I got to the top of the building, I found that the hurricane had knocked down some bricks off the top. So I rigged up a beam, with a pulley, at the top of the building and hoisted up a couple of barrels of bricks.
When I had fixed the building, there was a lot of bricks left over.
I hoisted the barrel back up again and secured the line at the bottom and then went up and filled the barrel with the extra bricks.
Then, I went to the bottom and cast off the rope.
Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was and before I knew what was happening, the barrel started down, jerking me off the ground.
I decided to hang on!
Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down... and received a severe blow on the shoulder.
I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers jammed in the pulley!
When the barrel hit the ground, it burst it's bottom... allowing all the bricks to spill out.
I was now heavier than the barrel and so started down again at high speed!
Halfway down... I met the barrel coming up and received severe injury to my shins!
When I hit the ground... I landed on the bricks, getting several painful cuts from the sharp edges!
At this point... I must have lost my presence of mind... because I let go of the line!
The barrel then came down... giving me a very heavy blow and putting me in hospital!
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&a...
Edited by Vanordinaire on Friday 28th September 11:41
My dad used to manage a plant machinery depot. One of his mechanics was working on a large excavator when a hydraulic hose fitting failed catastrophically and fired a jet of hydraulic oil straight through his hand.
He naturally got very animated and his colleagues, concerned that a large amount of hydraulic oil might be about to course through his system and kill him, tried to "slap" him to calm him down, and knocked him out instead!
A full recovery was made.
He naturally got very animated and his colleagues, concerned that a large amount of hydraulic oil might be about to course through his system and kill him, tried to "slap" him to calm him down, and knocked him out instead!
A full recovery was made.
drdino said:
Gareth1974 said:
Speaking of forklift truck incidents, this German health and safety video is a bit of a classic (bear with it, it takes a minute or two to get going):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-oB6DN5dYWo
Bloody hell! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-oB6DN5dYWo
Only thing I've ever come across, and hopefully the only one I ever will come across was not long after I left uni and started at a telecoms company until I found a graduate placement.
They were having some electrical work done to the outside of the building, lighting and wiring etc and the guy was using a cherry picker on his own which actually shouldn't have been happening. We left on the Friday with him just 'finishing off' (I was office based so nothing to do with the work going on).
Apparently he had a heart attack causing him to fall onto the controls which in turn lifted the basket and squashed him against the underside of the balcony he was working on. Not a pleasant sight on the Monday morning, he had no immediate family to notice he was missing over the weekend.
Lazermilk said:
Eyersey1234 said:
A while ago someone fell down the pit at the depot and broke his leg, he was then knocked out by the paramedics who dropped an oxygen cylinder on his head.
Shouldn't laugh but sounds like a carry on film!
He had a guy to move from A&E to a ward with a cracked skull, broken leg and ankle, facial burns and a "torn scrotum".
It seems he lived on the top floor of a tenement block in Belfast and was poking out a coal fire one night before bed.
His cat took a swipe at his nuts, ripping them open, he jumped up, cracked the back of his head on the mantle shelf, then fell face first into the fire. Whilst the Ambulance people were carrying him down the stairs on a stretcher, the same cat tripped one of them up, they dropped the stretcher and broke his leg and ankle.
Not a work accident but it sort of fits in here, a few years ago my mate was changing a trailer tyre, he was using a tyre Iron to take the tyre off the rim whilst his dad was helping to pin the wheel down. The tyre iron slipped as he was levering on it, his hand flew forward and he basically laid his dad out cold,the iron went flying, hit the garage wall and bounced back hitting my mate above his eye and knocking him out too. His frail old mum came out to the garage and found her son and husband unconscious on the garage floor...
The worst I have done to myself was knock myself out with an x-ray machine.
Saturday night in casualty and I had just x-rayed a drunks face, pushed the x-ray tube up out of the way and went to get the paperwork for the next of the saturday night pint and a fight brigade and walked back into the room. The next thing I knew was that I was laid on the floor of the room with a sore head and a sore shoulder. I mustnt have pushed the tube as high as I had planned to, and just walked straight into it.
The worst I have done to myself was knock myself out with an x-ray machine.
Saturday night in casualty and I had just x-rayed a drunks face, pushed the x-ray tube up out of the way and went to get the paperwork for the next of the saturday night pint and a fight brigade and walked back into the room. The next thing I knew was that I was laid on the floor of the room with a sore head and a sore shoulder. I mustnt have pushed the tube as high as I had planned to, and just walked straight into it.
Just remembered another farm incident last night.
Was in a rush, flying down the back lane on a honda 350 quad. 6 50kg bags of meal for the heifers. Must have been going about 25/30mph and someone had left barbed wire across the lane to turn the cows into the field. I saw the wire about 3m off and grabbed both brakes but with the weight on I couldn't get stopped in time. Barbed wire hit me across the chest and acted as an arrestor wire to bring quad to a stop. Thankfully I'm 6'3" so it was my chest but it was incredibly sore for a day or two after and I shiver to think what might have happened if it had been my boss or his children on the quad or if I had been forced backwards when I hit it.
Was in a rush, flying down the back lane on a honda 350 quad. 6 50kg bags of meal for the heifers. Must have been going about 25/30mph and someone had left barbed wire across the lane to turn the cows into the field. I saw the wire about 3m off and grabbed both brakes but with the weight on I couldn't get stopped in time. Barbed wire hit me across the chest and acted as an arrestor wire to bring quad to a stop. Thankfully I'm 6'3" so it was my chest but it was incredibly sore for a day or two after and I shiver to think what might have happened if it had been my boss or his children on the quad or if I had been forced backwards when I hit it.
TonyRPH said:
The scaffolding story reminded me of the Malaysian scaffolder in this video.
Screenshot from said video in case you've seen it.
That makes me so angry. How difficult can it be for a government and main contractor for this site to adopt (say) the uk’s H&S laws and training packages?Screenshot from said video in case you've seen it.
This is not a political issue it’s about doing what’s right.
Nanook said:
MikeStroud said:
That makes me so angry. How difficult can it be for a government and main contractor for this site to adopt (say) the uk’s H&S laws and training packages?
You know how much that would cost though? To implement and police?That's why.
The UK doesn't have the systemic corruption that most developing nations have.
captain_cynic said:
Forget the cost, the whole system falls apart when you can simply buy your permits from city hall and inspectors will look the other way for a few Ringit.
The UK doesn't have the systemic corruption that most developing nations have.
Agreed. The UK doesn't have the systemic corruption that most developing nations have.
Our H&S system has been a bit wrongly demonised by a mis-interpretation of H&S rules and people blaming "elf and safety rules" and failing to understand how to do a proper risk assessment, etc...
The HSE are actually quite pragmatic.
GIYess said:
Just remembered another farm incident last night.
Was in a rush, flying down the back lane on a honda 350 quad. 6 50kg bags of meal for the heifers. Must have been going about 25/30mph and someone had left barbed wire across the lane to turn the cows into the field. I saw the wire about 3m off and grabbed both brakes but with the weight on I couldn't get stopped in time. Barbed wire hit me across the chest and acted as an arrestor wire to bring quad to a stop. Thankfully I'm 6'3" so it was my chest but it was incredibly sore for a day or two after and I shiver to think what might have happened if it had been my boss or his children on the quad or if I had been forced backwards when I hit it.
Since when did farmers have the right to string barbed wire across the road?Was in a rush, flying down the back lane on a honda 350 quad. 6 50kg bags of meal for the heifers. Must have been going about 25/30mph and someone had left barbed wire across the lane to turn the cows into the field. I saw the wire about 3m off and grabbed both brakes but with the weight on I couldn't get stopped in time. Barbed wire hit me across the chest and acted as an arrestor wire to bring quad to a stop. Thankfully I'm 6'3" so it was my chest but it was incredibly sore for a day or two after and I shiver to think what might have happened if it had been my boss or his children on the quad or if I had been forced backwards when I hit it.
FiF said:
We take H&S for granted sometimes, to the point where it's a hindrance almost.
Go into a European aluminium melter, splashproof fireproof clothing, safety boots, gloves, helmets and face protection.
Indian aluminium melting shop, shorts and flip flops.
Strange post. Go into a European aluminium melter, splashproof fireproof clothing, safety boots, gloves, helmets and face protection.
Indian aluminium melting shop, shorts and flip flops.
Working with metal at 1200 degrees, I would have thought splashpoof fire clothing, safety boos, gloves, helmet and face protection would be preferable to shorts and flip flops?
Each to their own I guess.
ive lost count of the times ive stood on pallets to be lifted in the air to retrieve footballs from the flat roof of the office that protruded into the warehouse
another firm favourite was ballast for the back of the FLT when it cant lift stuff.
i remember the first time i drove a really fast FLT,
it was so fast i was zig zagging going up the road driving it
another firm favourite was ballast for the back of the FLT when it cant lift stuff.
i remember the first time i drove a really fast FLT,
it was so fast i was zig zagging going up the road driving it
Some horrible accidents here... https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=d4f_1492964068
Definitely not for the squeamish or easily shocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Definitely not for the squeamish or easily shocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ive heard this from farmers a few times. Trying to dis lodge stuff in a round baler while it is still operational. They get dragged into a big mincing machine.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/15499707.Fa...
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/f...
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/15499707.Fa...
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/f...
scorcher said:
Some horrible accidents here... https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=d4f_1492964068
Definitely not for the squeamish or easily shocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eeeuuuuwwww.....Definitely not for the squeamish or easily shocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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