In certain lines of work, we accept that there are risks associated with clocking in every day. There are safety meetings, protocols, and any violations are taken seriously – but accidents still can happen.
Even if you work a rather innocuous job, there’s always the chance that something bad could happen…and for these 14 people, the worst definitely came to pass.
14. I can’t even imagine.
When the concrete laborer was cleaning the concrete paving machine and the operator was in his car staying warm and the laborers rain gear strap got caught in the auger and dragged him in.
Most blood curdling screams I’ve heard as he was taking his last breath and it made mince meat of him.
So sad everyone was looking for the emergency off button but if only the operator was where he should’ve been…….
13. You can’t forget that.
Electrician here. walked into a house on a Monday morning. A dishwasher had a ground fault that didn’t trip out.
Plumber became part of the circuit Friday afternoon and was still part of the circuit Monday morning.
This is partly why they must be gfci protected now.
12. Lesson learned.
We were doing some maintenance on some big commercial equipment. A high pressure hydraulic line ruptured and cut someone’s arm off.
Blew it off would be more precise.
I learned that day not to f**k around with hydraulics willy nilly. I also learned that hydraulic oil is toxic, and the hospital needs the MSDS sheet in the event of hydraulic injuries.
The line had been previously damaged, and not correctly maintained.
11. For good reason.
Locally a forklift driver ran over a worker and the workers skull was crushed blood and brains everywhere.
Made me more cautioned to forklifts in my factory.
10. Some much needed levity.
Was a banquet server.
Getting my pocket hooked to the knob on the door and ripping my pants almost clean off as I walked out into the banquet hall full of people.
9. The good drugs.
Was an OSHA investigator who had just completed training in a state with a small budget. Was called to a site where a man was crushed to death by a crane jib, mind you, Fed OSHA Officers aren’t even allowed to do a fatality inspection until they’ve been with the agency for two years or longer.
Anyway, get out onsite do the investigation. Come to find out, the guy was stowing his jib (the portion of a crane that extends the boom length and is usually stowed on the side) when it popped of the side of the crane with him inside the lattice work. The jib fell roughly seven feet and rolled over the guy, the jib weighed around 5700 lbs.
Now this is all pretty common stuff, the interview his oiler/rigger was a little tough because they’d been together for so long (15 years) and were close. But the thing that really solidified it for me, was when I went to the autopsy and saw where the jib had landed. It landed right on the poor man’s crotch, and let me tell you… it did not look pretty down there. I was told he had survived for several hours after the incident… I just hope they drugged the shit out of him in his final hours.
8. Sounds very tough.
One of my best friends fell in a hydropulper at the papermill I work at. He drown in 140 degree F water paper soup.
He f**ked up and bypassed safety barriers. I dont look in there anymore ever. It’s been about 12 years now.
7. You never forget your first.
First job as an auto electrician at a car garage for Vauxhall in 2000.
Walking through the workshop and one of the mechanics drops to the floor screaming as I’m maybe 20ft or so away. His right had smoke around it and he was trying to get his overalls off whilst yelling for help.
Turns out as he was using the gas bottles (oxy acetylene) to cut off an exhaust that was giving him trouble, some of the molten metal that dropped off, fell inside the overall through the right arm and burnt straight into the under side of his forearm.
I remember the smell was like meat burning with a sweet side to it. As he’s trying to get the overalls off, the material has fused to this bubbling like gooey hole on his arm and when he tried to get them off it must have caused him even more pain. He was writhing around which made it very hard for us to try and help.
It unfortunately got much worse though. I don’t know the names of what was damaged but he couldn’t work as a mechanic anymore because this molten stuff had burned deep into his forearm and it stopped him being able to move some of his fingers. I don’t know how things went for him after this as he never came back to work us after being in hospital for a while.
6. Darwin award.
I used to work at a sandwich place that made hot and cold food. There was a coworker who always came in stoned.
One time, they came in too stoned, dropped the tongs into the deep fryer, and tried to pick them back up.
5. Anything but the eyes!
Worked at a factory that dealt with sprinkler systems. Watched a man using a plasma cutter on a 12″ pipe while his tinted glasses were on top of his head. A flash from the plasma cutter melted his contact to his eyeball.
In an impulsive panic, I watched him try to pull out the contact lens that brought his cornea along with it. Loudest I’d ever heard a grown man scream.
Happened 14 years ago and it still gets me.
4. OK in the end.
I was a dishwasher/delivery guy/food prep for a Chinese restaurant in my teens. The guy beside me was chopping vegetables and knicked the tip of his finger off. He wrapped it up and went to grab a glass of water.
He then passed out and dropped the glass, shattering on the floor, slipped on the glass, fell and hit his head on the chopping table, and landed just beside the broken glass on the floor.
Being the delivery guy, I delivered him to the hospital in my car. It was rough to see, but he was OK in the end.
3. Be careful out there.
When I worked for Walmart supply chain, the receiving crew wouldn’t put the pallets all the way in the rack. One had a huge piece of wood sticking out and our forklift guy swiveled into it. Impaled him in the shoulder and permanently disabled his arm.
When I worked at Ecolab a chemical loader didn’t wear his PPE and spilled acid on his pants. The acid ate through his skin into his muscles and now he’s wheelchair bound even after the skin grafts.
I didn’t see it personally but one of the acid delivery guys at my company didn’t wear his face shield or properly inspect his hookup lines and he needed facial reconstruction surgery and he went blind.
I’m only three years into my career so I’m off to a good start lol
2. Not a joke.
Not as bad as some people probably, but working at Amazon.
When I started the job, a manager laughingly told me that during the summer, they have ambulances parked in the parking lot “just in case”. I thought he was joking.
I was there for around 9 months and it started getting hotter. The warehouse didn’t have AC, just giant exhaust fans blowing hot air around. A girl in presort directing traffic (basically sending boxes down the appropriate line) just suddenly collapsed. Full on passed out on the line. Line stopped. Girl taken to nurse. She was back on the line again an hour later.
The reason it haunted me is just the fact that she came back. She passed out, and still had to finish her shift. Diabolical.
1. Heed the warnings.
Worked at a trampoline place. The job was basically telling people not to double bounce each other. No one listened. Saw a lot of snapped legs.
If only someone warned them.
I’m never going to be able to unsee some of these mental images, I swear.
If you’ve got a story that belongs on this list, tell it to us in the comments!
