# Ugly safety stories



## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

AGREED


----------



## oldsparky52 (Feb 25, 2020)

My brother and I worked for Davis Electric (circa 1973). He was a bit of a hot head. We were on top of scaffolding hanging lights in a warehouse. We would just pull ourselves along to the next light by grabbing the steel joists and pull. Leonard kept pulling and jerking with 2 hands while I was pulling with one always keeping one hand on the steel while he was pulling and letting go. I kept trying to tell him to quit pulling so hard and do it slow and smooth.

Well, we start to pull and a wheel gets locked up. Leonard pulled so hard the scaffolding started to tip over. I yelled at him to hold on, we are going down! (I could see the guard rail was no longer parallel with the mortar joints on the block). I watched as he tried to grab the steel and he had his fingertips on it when the guard rail came across the back of his legs and pulled him off. Down to the floor he went (with the scaffolding). I pulled myself up into joists. They had to bring in a box truck and put an extension ladder on to of it to get me down. 

Leonard spent a few days in the hospital and never came back. Davis Electric went out of business.


----------



## oldsparky52 (Feb 25, 2020)

oldsparky52 said:


> Leonard spent a few days in the hospital and never came back.


I just reread this and see that it could be understood that Leonard died in the hospital, he did not. He didn't come back to work. (He died a couple years later from an unrelated event).


----------



## Breakfasteatre (Sep 8, 2009)

This happened to a friends coworker

they were unloading a job box out of a truck on to ground level with one of those hydraulic tail gate things.
It was raining outside and the deck of the tailgate was metal and slick

the guy was standing on the tailgate, trying to maneuver the job box when he slipped off the tailgate on to the ground, and the job box followed, falling on him, destroying his leg. He wont be walking normally again.


a hack contractor that sometimes has us weld up stuff for him was in a plant with a canning line that had some sort of hydraulic robot picker. They turned the line off and his helper went to grab something under the robot picker. The arm suddenly dropped down, hitting him in the back of the head/neck, killing him. Somehow that guy is still doing work for that customer.


----------



## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

Breakfasteatre said:


> This happened to a friends coworker
> 
> they were unloading a job box out of a truck on to ground level with one of those hydraulic tail gate things.
> It was raining outside and the deck of the tailgate was metal and slick
> ...


That’s why we worked under the heading “zero energy potential”.


----------



## oldsparky52 (Feb 25, 2020)

backstay said:


> That’s why we worked under the heading “zero energy potential”.


That's a great term. Did you pick that up from OJT or in a school or book somewhere?


----------



## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

Before my time. Bucket truck driver working with my Dad noticed a small weeping leak on one of the hoses. Grabbed the hose to twist it for a better look. Hose burst forcing hydraulic oil into his hand. Lost his hand.


----------



## Breakfasteatre (Sep 8, 2009)

2 journeymen were pulling wire for parking lot lights. the fishtape kept on curling out of the stub of pvc in the concrete base and hitting the base plate of the post instead of going up the pole to the access panel.

Foreman was getting pissed off that 2 journeymen were taking so long to fish this one pole, so he grabs a flat head screw driver to try to hook the fishtape to get it to go up the pole.
his eyes were in line with the gap between the concrete and the pole base, his screwdriver slipped and he stabbed himself in the eye, losing most of the vision.
He had just come back from firefighter training, which was his ultimate career goal, and had to give it up because of the loss of sight.


----------



## Breakfasteatre (Sep 8, 2009)

last one,

we were pulling wire through core line that went into some concrete benches. we got the fishtape into the bench after much swearing. the end of the steel fishtape was out about 6 inches, so the other guy grabbed his linesman to pull the fishtape out further. His pliers slipped, and his hand caught the loop on the fishtape. the loop had a nice sharp end that was exposed, and it tore his hand open, split the fleshy part by the thumb wide open. A ton of blood, and muscle tissue and yellow fat hanging out. He passed out and we ended up calling an ambulance.


----------



## oldsparky52 (Feb 25, 2020)

They used to cut up underground steel fuel tanks that were removed so they could clean them and take them to the recycler. One worker got lazy and didn't follow protocol, he cut into an empty gas tank with a torch. Well the end blew off and slammed the guy under a backhoe. He later died in the hospital. 

Follow safety protocols! Don't think you know more than the people that wrote them.


----------



## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

oldsparky52 said:


> That's a great term. Did you pick that up from OJT or in a school or book somewhere?


That came from the paper mill when I worked there. That was in use more than 30 years ago, maybe older.


----------



## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

oldsparky52 said:


> My brother and I worked for Davis Electric (circa 1973). He was a bit of a hot head. We were on top of scaffolding hanging lights in a warehouse. We would just pull ourselves along to the next light by grabbing the steel joists and pull. Leonard kept pulling and jerking with 2 hands while I was pulling with one always keeping one hand on the steel while he was pulling and letting go. I kept trying to tell him to quit pulling so hard and do it slow and smooth.
> 
> Well, we start to pull and a wheel gets locked up. Leonard pulled so hard the scaffolding started to tip over. I yelled at him to hold on, we are going down! (I could see the guard rail was no longer parallel with the mortar joints on the block). I watched as he tried to grab the steel and he had his fingertips on it when the guard rail came across the back of his legs and pulled him off. Down to the floor he went (with the scaffolding). I pulled myself up into joists. They had to bring in a box truck and put an extension ladder on to of it to get me down.
> 
> Leonard spent a few days in the hospital and never came back. Davis Electric went out of business.


A similar thing happened to a pair of acoustic ceiling guys.
Two guys on the floor were pushing the scaffold when the top section caught a dropped beam (industrial building). The wheels were not secured to the scaffold, so when it lifted up, 2 wheels fell off. 
Same result, 4 sections high came crashing down. They didn't die but i dont know what the long term injuries were as a few days later I took over another project out of town.
I do know that the refinery safety guys were all over everything with a fine tooth comb.
Our scaffolding passes with flying colours as our bosses were really into safety. ( over 40 years ago)


----------



## Wardenclyffe (Jan 11, 2019)

oldsparky52 said:


> That's a great term. Did you pick that up from OJT or in a school or book somewhere?


Per OSHA Lockout Tagout regulation (1910.147), any process or facility equipment that has multiple energy sources require Lockout Tagout procedures. Under the regulation, *the equipment is required to be brought to a zero energy state*.


----------



## wiz1997 (Mar 30, 2021)

Late 70's, an apprentice at the time.

Working on the core of a six story office building, no outside walls or glass, just a single cable about 3 feet above the floor.

Stopped to take our afternoon break from hanging a buss duct riser.

Sitting on a pile of sheetrock, we saw a frame for the elevator being lifted to the sixth floor, didn't think much about it.

We saw something go by, going down, we looked at each other and someone said "Was that what I thought it was?"

Walked to the edge of the building and looked down.

There was one of the elevator guys laying across a pile of 4 x 4's.

His foot was above his head, body twisted over the pile of wood.

Story was, the cherry picker could not lift the frame above the sixth floor.

The elevator guys had to reach out, grab the frame, lift it a few inches, and then pull it on to the floor as the cherry picker let out slack.

Wide leather watch bands with rivots were popular during that time.

The frame got away from them, snagged the guys watch band and pulled him off the building.

Ambulance showed up pretty quick, but as they loaded him into the ambulance, it appeared we watched him take his last breath.

They shut the job down and sent everyone home.

We had to stay and finish installing the piece of buss duct we had been working on.

It was hanging by chain falls and they didn't want us to leave it that way..

A normally busy and noisy construction job was totally silent.

Very eerie.

Didn’t dwell on it much, until a few days later.

The guy's family showed up to see where he died. 

His Mom, his Dad, and his obviously pregnant wife carrying a two year old.

That will get you to thinking.


----------



## wiz1997 (Mar 30, 2021)

Had a real close call installing the main switch gear on a 20 story building.

Journeyman and I, along with several others, we're setting the switch gear.

Once we had all the sections in place, the others went off to do other things, he and I began installing the buss bars that connected the sections together.

The next day we were back inside the gear to bolt more buss in and terminate the wires that had been pulled.

GF came and told us the generator contractor would be here to start the generator around 10AM, but they were not going to allow the transfer switch to operate.

Journeyman goes to the gang box, pulls out a chain and hands the chain and a lock to me.

"Go in there and wrap the chain around the buss and lock it."

Did what I was told.

Took our 9AM break and went back to work.

We saw the trucks the generator guys drove parked near the generator building.

Journeyman said let's go do something else for a little while.

Few minutes later we heard the generator crank up, a few minutes after that, there was a loud obviously electrical boom.

Yep, they had operated the transfer switch and sent power to the switch gear we had been inside a little earlier.

Melted down a section of buss inside the gear, about $100,000 worth.

I looked at my Journeyman and without me asking, he replied, "Son, I've been around long enough to learn , never trust anyone with your life. And remember this, you are more likely to be killed by others mistakes, than by your own".

A wise old electrician, he was.

GF and shop Forman were livid about the damage to the gear.

They and the journeyman went off to discuss he incident, all I could hear was yelling.

Few minutes later my journeyman returned.

Get a chain.

We went to the generator and wrapped the chain around the, now locked, transfer switch, and locked the chain.

Now let's go see what kind of mess THEY made.


----------



## Veteran Sparky (Apr 21, 2021)

25 years ago, a scrapper was working with a crane, old guy, and his adult son was working with him.
There were overhead primary lines. He had boom up and was crawling backwards when he came in contact with the primary. When his son saw his dad and knew something wrong, he tried to save him and combusted and caught fire. Needless to say both dead. This has happened in open trenches in the city too. Guy goes to save buddy, and catches fire and all dead.


----------



## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

We arrive at the shop in the morning as usual I’m the first one. I look at who is going to be doing what and who is on who’s crew because this changes from day to day. I noticed that JD is working with P.

Now P is an odd fellow, he’s not a journeyman, he’s not an apprentice, he just showed up at our shop and did some work out in the yard, and brought with him a couple of trucks and a couple of vans. It was clear to me that P was an out of work electrical contractor, but it turns out he was an out of work data contractor who is going for his electricians license.

I found out later, he had been working as an electrical contractor utilizing the license of someone else for money, but because he wasn’t paying the money or some other reason similar to that he no longer could bid on or do electrical work. But he had electrical work to do, and needed a license and made some kind of an arrangement with my company owner to do it through his but I suppose only under the supervision of my company owner.

Now this is a very odd and precarious arrangement for a union shop to be taking but the owner of my shop did a lot of things shall we say “outside the box“. He like to push the envelope. He had been a nonunion contractor before he joined Local 3, and did many many scummy things, and all many of his prior employees were now Local 3 members organized into the union through his shop, sans having gone through an apprenticeship program and proper training certified in official.

At any rate, JD I had worked with at two other shops prior to this place and was a bit of a devil May care kind a guy. He wasn’t a stickler for the rules and the boss Knew it. When JD showed up and saw that he’d be going out on a boom truck with P, to deliver and set two pieces of switchgear that were already on the boom truck, he, knowing we were all good Local 3 union men, pretended to pitch a fit about I’m not letting P lay a hand on this stuff I’m going to have to do it all while he watches.

I pulled JD a side and told him in no uncertain terms seeing as the switchgear was labeled on the top of each piece forklift only do not boom, that we’re he to get hurt he’s going to have a very big problem. He brushed it off, and brushed me off.

JD and P‘s job was in Queens, mine was in the Bronx some 5 miles away right up the same highway. By 9:30 in the morning my phone was blowing up with text messages, voicemails and phone calls coming in. Although they tried to inform me first it turns out I was the last to know. Apparently P had convinced JD that he can operate the boom truck controls without setting foot on the property and therefore he’s not doing electrical work. The scam schemes and go around‘s in logic stream that these nonunion scabs use it or not to be believed. I found out later that JD was also told don’t worry about it it’ll be an easy day once we get the set we’re done and we can go home . (or at least JD could go home. P would go back to the shop and suck up to the boss which is what he did most of the time)

apparently while booming one piece of switchgear off the truck and setting it onto a sloped ground area, parentheses I don’t know what they were doing it wasn’t even going onto a dolly it was going on to lawn and dirt) JD was under the switchgear when one of the slings gave way in the switchgear chip precariously on a 45° angle out of the homemade swing net that they created by weaving multiple slings together. There were no ratchet straps, there were no safety chains, there was no come along. Honestly I don’t know what their plan was from that point.

As JG ducked down and moved away from everything to keep clear of what looks like it’s going to become a disaster, he waited roughly 10 feet away from the dangling switchgear, but downhill from it. He apparently jumped off the truck to go assess the situation and try and formulate a Plan B. Before he could get to the location though, The switchgear completely dropped out of the sling and rolled over twice the second time crushing JD’s leg and ankle.

In the end, JD had to retire from the local on a disability pension. He was just in the midst of fixing his house After it was nearly destroyed by hurricane Sandy. Putting the final touches on it.

A couple of weeks after this incident P approached me and told me that we were going to be working together on something. I told him absolutely not in no uncertain terms may you do anything of the sort you’re not a Local 3 member go **** yourself, we all know what happened to JG you’re not gonna do the same thing to me. I know your act I know your style I know you’re a scab I know you’re a scummy worker, I know you have no clue what you’re doing, I know that you think speed trans knowledge and experience and skill which is why you refused to pay any of your employees anything especially not prevailing rate after you bid on a job and could not do the job because you refused to pay your employees prevailing rate if you found out you would have to, because you knew that if you ever did pay them prevailing rate they would wonder why you only pay them upwards to $14 an hour tops every other job you’ve ever been on.

Then he tells me while you have to work with me I’m allowed to work in this local because I am part owner of this shop. I said that’s fine P, those are the rules however seeing as you are a part owner of the shop as you say parentheses which I know he’s full of ****) then Local 3 has given you and printed you up an owners card let me see it now. He reeled back from me and discussed to which I just said to him now go F yourself P and don’t ever lie to me again because I’m not one of your little scabby nonunion employees. And I’m not falling for your line of crap that ass doesn’t fly around here. You caught JD at a weak moment in his life otherwise he would’ve never agreed to have you sit in a truck next to him to go out and do a job . And now the man is crippled for life and can never work again in the electrical industry. But you don’t care do you pay because you think the whole world revolves around you and your quest for wealth and money.

Some 6 to 8 weeks later a text message was sent, a mass text message against amongst all of the employees of the shop, it was P resignation address , which sounded like he was going to commit suicide. He moved back to Guyana.


----------



## CAUSA (Apr 3, 2013)

Also be aware of the simple things.

being in a OSHA investigation on a site that the worker rolled his ankle on a stone. The way he fell caused his wrist to break.

so broken wrist and torn ligaments and tendons in ankle. WCB did not believe that those injuries could be caused by a rock.

there was only one witness, me I was beside him.

OSHA straightened them out.


----------



## Veteran Sparky (Apr 21, 2021)

LGLS said:


> Now this is a very odd and precarious arrangement for a union shop to be taking but the owner of my shop did a lot of things shall we say “outside the box“. He like to push the envelope. He had been a nonunion contractor before he joined Local 3, and did many many scummy things, and all many of his prior employees were now Local 3 members organized into the union through his shop, sans having gone through an apprenticeship program and proper training certified in official.
> 
> The scam schemes and go around‘s in logic stream that these nonunion scabs use it or not to be believed.
> 
> your style I know you’re a scab I know you’re a scummy worker,


I was in a union many moons ago. And your statement in first paragraph is the norm IMO. I get the BS term 'scab'. I'm offended. I'm non union, went through an apprenticeship. Best electricians I know are non union. I have worked with MANY Union electricians. Most of them there attitude ****ing sucks. They treat their apprentices like ****. Poor work ethic. Lazy. Don't give a **** about the customer. In the 50's unions perhaps were needed. We are a long way from the 50's. Unions are about intimidation and the ones in my area are ALL CORRUPT. So take your scab term, and stick it up your ass.

If you don't want me to lump all the union workers into the same category...don't do it for Non union workers. We are people who work for a living like others. We have integrity and training. There is scum in all walks of life.
All a union does is charge there workers for promises they don't keep and to line there pockets.


----------



## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

Might have told this story before.

New engine control/breaker module for a remote diesel plant was built. During commissioning at the factory, they didn't have the proper key for the synch switch as it was ordered to match the existing key in the plant. To facilitate a thorough commissioning, they used a pair of needle-nose pliers to turn the synch key on. Panel is shipped with the switch still on.

A month later, buddy is doing the install. Plant is running, as such, you have to pick a time to work on the synch ccts that doesn't interfere with operations. I guess the opportunity came sooner than later and that part of the job was completed early.

A couple days later buddy is in the back of the cell, no grounds installed, working on the generator leads. It's getting close to lunch and the load is picking up so the plant operator starts up an engine, gets it up to speed/voltage and turns the synch key on. The backfeed through the needle-nosed switch lit up the PT secondary, while buddy was landing cables on the bus connected to the primary. 

They say his chin left a scorch mark on the side of the gear as he was falling.


----------



## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

Veteran Sparky said:


> I was in a union many moons ago. And your statement in first paragraph is the norm IMO. I get the BS term 'scab'. I'm offended. I'm non union, went through an apprenticeship. Best electricians I know are non union. I have worked with MANY Union electricians. Most of them there attitude **ing sucks. They treat their apprentices like **. Poor work ethic. Lazy. Don't give a **** about the customer. In the 50's unions perhaps were needed. We are a long way from the 50's. Unions are about intimidation and the ones in my area are ALL CORRUPT. So take your scab term, and stick it up your ass.
> 
> If you don't want me to lump all the union workers into the same category...don't do it for Non union workers. We are people who work for a living like others. We have integrity and training. There is scum in all walks of life.
> All a union does is charge there workers for promises they don't keep and to line there pockets.


OK I’ll tell you what I’ll stop lumping all nonunion workers together in the same category if you stop lumping all unions together and say that they’re irrelevant because the only reason why you’re getting the wage you’re getting and have a weekend a holiday or vacation pay is because of unions brother. By the way your entire soliloquy sounds exactly like what nonunion contractors love to tell their employees about unions who end up buying it hook line and sinker and end up being anti-union their entire lives for no reason other than the stupid lie that Benefits nonunion contractors only.

It’s also with people who’ve gotten thrown out of the union like to say because they’re bitter. It’s also with people who tried to get into a union but couldn’t like to say because they too are bitter jealous and angry.

I’ll speak my piece, state my opinion, and nobody, especially not a Washout X union member like you is going to tell me what to say how to speak or how to say it. If I want crap out of you I’ll ask your opinion.

Good day sir.

Peace out


----------



## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

CAUSA said:


> Also be aware of the simple things.
> 
> being in a OSHA investigation on a site that the worker rolled his ankle on a stone. The way he fell caused his wrist to break.
> 
> ...


I broke my ankle, leg, & tore ligaments from stepping on a somewhat large rock while walking across a chemical factory’s outdoor area. The lot was smooth and covered with small rocks except for this one I stepped on. I had on ankle high Red Wings but my ankle just went out on me.

Definitely was a Workman’s Comp injury and my company only had to claim about 3 days of “lost time” injury. Even so, another customer we had was big-pharma and they wanted to kick all of our people (about 40) off of their job site because of this lost-time injury, even though it did not happen one of their facilities. They ended up putting us on some sort of double secret probation and let everyone stay.


----------



## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

I have seen quite a few major injuries over the years.
When I was on the accident investigation team we went to see why a guy lost the tip of his finger on a machine conveyor.
When he came back we were looking the screen over and asked him what he did, and he said " I pulled a label that was stuck on the conveyor like this", as one went by you guessed it he took the tip of the finger on the other hand off right in front of us.


----------



## Mobius87 (May 20, 2019)

I worked as a line locator's helper in high school for one summer. There was one time that we went out to an oilfield site and located a high pressure NG line so some excavating could be done. A few days later we had to go back and give statements.... the place looked like a war zone. Huge crater with a charred husk of an excavator on the edge. You could still see our flags on either side, dead on to where the gas line was when he dug through it. He didn't make it.

Another year I worked as an oilfield maintenance swamper and had a good wake-up call. My lead was running the skid-steer, spreading some gravel on site, and wanted me to change a pressure gauge on the wellhead. I closed the valve, spun off the old gauge, reached across to grab the new one and... bam. I was laying flat out on the ground a dozen feet away. My lead said he heard a whoosh and saw me cartwheel across the sky. My coverall sleeve caught the valve just as I leaned across the opening and opened it wide up. Not a scratch on me, aside from not being able to hear anything for a couple days. Damned lucky.


----------



## FaultCurrent (May 13, 2014)

I've been around a long time and have many stories to tell, Some are the result of downright stupidity and some ended in the man no longer living among us. 

I'll start with an unusual injury. Walking by a gaffer on a movie set who was working above on a 18 ft a-frame ladder, I looked up and saw him attempting to hang a projector spot with gel frames on a pipe. Paid no attention and walked by the ladder, and the next thing I knew I was struck by a heavy sandbag. Wham! I'm a pretty solid feller and the blow kind of staggered me. Except the sand bag made a whooshing sound as it slammed into my shoulder. It was a solid hit. I looked down and saw the gaffer lying on the floor amongst a pile of steel 400 amp panelboard empty enclosures. And he was hurting, his collarbone was broken, his ribs were cracked where he hit me, but curiously he was screaming about his hand. I looked down and saw he had dislocated several fingers. Ouch! People on the job told me the guy was leaning too far out from the ladder and it toppled and he fell, on me. Damn! Afterwards I marveled that I suffered no injury but the gaffer took the hit and broke some ribs. I can still remember the solid hit on my neck and shoulder and boy did the gaffer pay the price. Oh well, on I went.


----------



## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

just the cowboy said:


> I have seen quite a few major injuries over the years.
> When I was on the accident investigation team we went to see why a guy lost the tip of his finger on a machine conveyor.
> When he came back we were looking the screen over and asked him what he did, and he said " I pulled a label that was stuck on the conveyor like this", as one went by you guessed it he took the tip of the finger on the other hand off right in front of us.


@just the cowboy 
Not to make light of the seriousness of safety, but your story reminded me of this YouTube clip.


----------



## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

Wardenclyffe said:


> Per OSHA Lockout Tagout regulation (1910.147), any process or facility equipment that has multiple energy sources require Lockout Tagout procedures. Under the regulation, *the equipment is required to be brought to a zero energy state*.


Suppose I'm connecting control wires to a 6" solenoid-operated valve that's above the ground and supported by the piping bolted to its flanges. Even though the power to the control circuit has been locked and tagged out and there's no possibility of pressure in the piping, the valve is technically not at zero energy. Since it is not on the ground and not supported in and of itself, there's stored energy that can be released by it falling. Even though falling is not possible, there's still stored energy. 

Suppose I'm connecting the control circuit and the piping is under pressure? It's not zero energy. Is it reasonable to require that the pressure be brought to zero? 

How about troubleshooting control circuits? Or taking voltage and/or current readings?

Safety nazis, including osha and msha seriously need to be taught.......everything needs to be reasonable, very things are absolute. Busting people for stupid stuff does not contribute to safety at all, it causes disrespect.......which has the opposite effect.........

Certainly, bring it to as close to a zero energy state as practicable but a blanket requirement is never the right answer.


----------



## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

micromind said:


> Suppose I'm connecting control wires to a 6" solenoid-operated valve that's above the ground and supported by the piping bolted to its flanges. Even though the power to the control circuit has been locked and tagged out and there's no possibility of pressure in the piping, the valve is technically not at zero energy. Since it is not on the ground and not supported in and of itself, there's stored energy that can be released by it falling. Even though falling is not possible, there's still stored energy.
> 
> Suppose I'm connecting the control circuit and the piping is under pressure? It's not zero energy. Is it reasonable to require that the pressure be brought to zero?
> 
> ...


OSHA and MSHA are not your enemy on this. Troubleshooting and startups are specifically exempted from LOTO. In fact Electrical LOTO has completely different sections with different rules and the general LOTO 1910.140 specifically calls this out! The only reason to screw this up is illiteracy. If you understand the difference and read it you will understand that LOTO is only part of electrical work.

Zero energy refers to the work site and doesn’t apply to tools and materials. That falls under lifting, rigging, and to “ergonomics” although the rules on that last one were so bad it was repealed.

Even piping can be lethal. A guy a few years back around here was standing on the wrong side of a 24” plastic pipe that they had put in a bind with an excavator and did not keep 109% control over when it popped out of the fuser and hit him in the head. He died on the way to the hospital. It’s just like ANY rigging job…always maintain control over the load at all times. I don’t see why this is so hard to understand.


----------



## ohm it hertz (Dec 2, 2020)

LGLS said:


> OK I’ll tell you what I’ll stop lumping all nonunion workers together in the same category if you stop lumping all unions together and say that they’re irrelevant because the only reason why you’re getting the wage you’re getting and have a weekend a holiday or vacation pay is because of unions brother. By the way your entire soliloquy sounds exactly like what nonunion contractors love to tell their employees about unions who end up buying it hook line and sinker and end up being anti-union their entire lives for no reason other than the stupid lie that Benefits nonunion contractors only.
> 
> It’s also with people who’ve gotten thrown out of the union like to say because they’re bitter. It’s also with people who tried to get into a union but couldn’t like to say because they too are bitter jealous and angry.
> 
> ...


----------



## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

While I worked the oil patch I saw a few guys trying to tighten something on a mud pump. One was holding a 36" pipe wrench on the part being tightened. One was holding the wrench handle and 6 foot cheater bar and the third was jumping on the cheater bar. These fellows were not my crew or my concern so I had no say as to what they were doing. I did transport the guy that was holding the wrench on the nut and his detached nose to the hospital.

I saw a farmer get stuck in his combine while cutting wheat. His son attempted to pull him out with the tractor and a 2 inch nylon tow rope. The rope's knot or hook came undone at the combine under great tension and went through the back window of the tractor and through the boy's face. The coroner was called.

Then there was the tower worker that didn't maintain 3 point contact with the tower. Emphasis on *was* a tower worker.


----------



## Viggmundir (Sep 13, 2019)

A guy I used to work with was out on a service call that involved a scissor lift. Big open building and he was out in the open, about 25ft up, very easy to see and notice. The building had an overhead crane in it that could travel the entire length of the building. My co-worker left the workers with crane access because they were unloading a semi at the other end of the building, 60ft away, knew he was up there, and didn't need to use the crane anywhere close to where he was. Some other worker bee comes into the building, walks past the scissor lift to go get the crane remote, and proceeded to ram the crane into the scissor lift. Thankfully it did not get worked over, but my co-worker had a good scare and was halfway up on to the crane before it stopped. After that the crane remote went up in the lift anytime we ever did work in that building.


----------



## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

I hesitated to post this earlier as I wasn't sure if it was public knowledge yet and if the investigation was still ongoing. Cause of death was kept quiet since the accident about a year ago.

39yo electrician apprentice walking outside an overhead door was hit by a block of falling ice. His apprenticeship, and his life, ended right there. It's not always a case of someone doing something wrong.


----------



## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

joe-nwt said:


> I hesitated to post this earlier as I wasn't sure if it was public knowledge yet and if the investigation was still ongoing. Cause of death was kept quiet since the accident about a year ago.
> 
> 39yo electrician apprentice walking outside an overhead door was hit by a block of falling ice. His apprenticeship, and his life, ended right there. It's not always a case of someone doing something wrong.


where did the ice come from ?


----------



## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

joe-nwt said:


> I hesitated to post this earlier as I wasn't sure if it was public knowledge yet and if the investigation was still ongoing. Cause of death was kept quiet since the accident about a year ago.
> 
> 39yo electrician apprentice walking outside an overhead door was hit by a block of falling ice. His apprenticeship, and his life, ended right there. It's not always a case of someone doing something wrong.


There might be a case for negligence but this sounds like a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tragic.


----------



## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Almost Retired said:


> where did the ice come from ?


From the roof. Heat tracing can help. Maybe it was a building under construction and the heat tracing wasn’t installed yet.


----------



## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

Almost Retired said:


> where did the ice come from ?


Far as I know, there was angle iron ice guards installed. Rumor has it they may have been removed during some roofing repairs and not reinstalled. Like I said, rumor.


----------



## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

At the old Dayton Tire plant here in OKC they wanted an electrician to work on some piece of gear that was hot.

I don't know the particulars, I just know it was turned down by the resident maintenance electrician and two other outside electricians. They finally got some kind of trunk slammer who employed illegals from San Salvador. 

Crispycrittered one guy and the other one fell and was paralyzed. That was about three years before they shut down and tore down the plant. I was a frequent vendor to the plant but thank God wasn't there when that happened.


----------



## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

One time at that same plant I was on a 50 foot outside boom lift working on an outside wall camera mounted to a corner. I was about all of the 50 foot straight up so I was within the safe envelope of boom operation. I was also parked right next to a deep 40 foot drop off pit for deliveries. 40 plus 50 ish is 90 feet more or less. Like I said I was just fine working up there until the cold front came through. 









After riding that bucket 15 feet to the left, then 15 feet to the right over that pit, then back to the left, then right, then left finally stopping again where the bucket was supposed to be, I slowly unclenched my death grip from the safety railing, shook out my shorts, and very carefully eased the bucket down to the ground. 









I vibrated/walked over to the extension cord and plugged in the lift, got into the truck and prayed and thanked God all the way home.









It was only 10 a.m. but I still went home.


----------



## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

Veteran Sparky said:


> I was in a union many moons ago. And your statement in first paragraph is the norm IMO. I get the BS term 'scab'. I'm offended. I'm non union, went through an apprenticeship. Best electricians I know are non union. I have worked with MANY Union electricians. Most of them there attitude **ing sucks. They treat their apprentices like **. Poor work ethic. Lazy. Don't give a **** about the customer. In the 50's unions perhaps were needed. We are a long way from the 50's. Unions are about intimidation and the ones in my area are ALL CORRUPT. So take your scab term, and stick it up your ass.
> 
> If you don't want me to lump all the union workers into the same category...don't do it for Non union workers. We are people who work for a living like others. We have integrity and training. There is scum in all walks of life.
> All a union does is charge there workers for promises they don't keep and to line there pockets.


Amen! 
Our crew was non union working at Chicago Ohare running new network cabling for new cameras. During the night, all of our runs that we pulled that day was cut. We had been getting grief about not being in the union and being imported from a different state to Chicago to work. We pulled it all again and told the GC who ordered more cable.
The next moring it was all cut again. 

We pulled off the job and delivered a bill to the GC, triple from what we bid and flew home. We informed the GC we were not working for him, we had been contracted by the City of Chicago, Ohare Airport Authority, there fore we did not need to be union. He fired the union electricians, hired another union electrician, read them the riot act, paid our bill and invited us back. He also provided armed security guards for us and the work we did. Now that guy was a proactive GC. He didn't put up with their Sheite.


----------



## Veteran Sparky (Apr 21, 2021)

LARMGUY said:


> Amen!
> Our crew was non union working at Chicago Ohare running new network cabling for new cameras. During the night, all of our runs that we pulled that day was cut. We had been getting grief about not being in the union and being imported from a different state to Chicago to work. We pulled it all again and told the GC who ordered more cable.
> The next moring it was all cut again.
> 
> We pulled off the job and delivered a bill to the GC, triple from what we bid and flew home. We informed the GC we were not working for him, we had been contracted by the City of Chicago, Ohare Airport Authority, there fore we did not need to be union. He fired the union electricians, hired another union electrician, read them the riot act, paid our bill and invited us back. He also provided armed security guards for us and the work we did. Now that guy was a proactive GC. He didn't put up with their Sheite.


That's awesome! (2nd paragraph)


----------



## Quickservice (Apr 23, 2020)

joe-nwt said:


> Before my time. Bucket truck driver working with my Dad noticed a small weeping leak on one of the hoses. Grabbed the hose to twist it for a better look. Hose burst forcing hydraulic oil into his hand. Lost his hand.


I saw the same thing happen to a guy one day from just a pin hole in the hose... fortuately he didn't lose his hand, but it sure ripped it wide open. Hydraulic hoses can be bad news.


----------



## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

LARMGUY said:


> Amen!
> Our crew was non union working at Chicago Ohare running new network cabling for new cameras. During the night, all of our runs that we pulled that day was cut. We had been getting grief about not being in the union and being imported from a different state to Chicago to work. We pulled it all again and told the GC who ordered more cable.
> The next moring it was all cut again.
> 
> We pulled off the job and delivered a bill to the GC, triple from what we bid and flew home. We informed the GC we were not working for him, we had been contracted by the City of Chicago, Ohare Airport Authority, there fore we did not need to be union. He fired the union electricians, hired another union electrician, read them the riot act, paid our bill and invited us back. He also provided armed security guards for us and the work we did. Now that guy was a proactive GC. He didn't put up with their Sheite.


Sounds legit…

what does this “story” have to do with safety?


----------



## Martine (Jan 26, 2018)

A few months ago an electrician stuck his head out of the door for a fraco from inside the building(I don’t know the real name for it, it’s the metal seacan looking elevator on the outside of a big building in construction) to see when it was coming, and he got decapitated.


----------



## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

Martine said:


> A few months ago an electrician stuck his head out of the door for a fraco from inside the building(I don’t know the real name for it, it’s the metal seacan looking elevator on the outside of a big building in construction) to see when it was coming, and he got decapitated.


That would be absolutely horrible!


----------



## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

Decades ago I worked in a board mill(think wafer board). We lost one of four incoming transformers.

After the mobile temporary was connected and the mill up and running, my boss(non electrical)comes to me. Informs me his boss(supposed to be EE) has tasked us with going inside the metal enclosure of the 14.4 kv transformer primary side and vacuum all the dust off the transformer, live.

Apparently the big stickers on the panels that would need to be removed, that said DO NOT REMOVE wasn’t enough. So I wandered down to where we stored the documents and found the manufacturer’s book on the unit. Memorize it, asked for a meeting with said EE and my boss. 

After destroying the EE’s procedure for a safe entry with said non voltage rated vacuum around open 14,400 volt wiring connections, I informed my boss that no electricians would be going inside the transformer enclosure without power to it being shut down.

My boss told me I had made an enemy that day. But every one went home. I shudder to think what could of happened to some unknowing worker.


----------



## seelite (Aug 24, 2009)

I truly believe in 'Unionism', what I don't believe in is 'Gangsterism and Terrorism'. I've been on both sides of the fence and while the early unions did much good they became infiltrated by leaders out only for themselves. Unions were established to watch out for the worker with workers also watching out for one another. I don't see this happening much anymore. I turned in my card when my personal safety was put in danger by fellow members who were drunk or drugged. Sorry but my life is worth more to me (and to my family) than the few extra benefits that my dues provide me. I now feel safer in the Cartels than in the Unions. Bye now!


----------



## LeisureDave (4 mo ago)

oldsparky52 said:


> They used to cut up underground steel fuel tanks that were removed so they could clean them and take them to the recycler. One worker got lazy and didn't follow protocol, he cut into an empty gas tank with a torch. Well the end blew off and slammed the guy under a backhoe. He later died in the hospital.
> 
> Follow safety protocols! Don't think you know more than the people that wrote them.


In a similar note, at my brother’s high school they used to have a shop project where they turned an old steel drum into a barbecue. One had been used to store mint oil, and when a kid tried grinding it open it exploded, killing him.


----------



## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

I was working doing primary cabling for a air craft plant with several building. Incoming was 15kv and S&C switch gear. I got an order to open a section of the distribution and let the electrical engineer of the project do an inspection. I waited for them to arrive. Gear all locked, with my locks. The engineer had an liquid lunch and it showed. I opened one door with the screen guard door still closed. Engineer got pissed off and started yelling, I asked him if he would look at my power book. I had created an book of when the final inspection for every section on the property was passed and when it was energized. I signed the electrical engineer signed and my boss signed. The engineer looked at the line and said it was impossible for the gear to be hot. Even with his signature twice on the gear. More yelling, I then took my tick tracer with the fiberglass handle and let it scream when I put it through the guard screen. The engineer left. I looked at my boss and said we have to talk. 
We talked in our trailer away from everyone. I stated either he leaves or I call OSHA. I am not killing anyone on our or anyone else's crew for this person. Two days later he was escorted off the property by the owners security staff. Everyone knew I was me. Management on site hated me, the workers were happy that I was the one doing all of the turn ons. 12 hours a day and 6 days a week will make anyone stupid after 10 months. They wanted me to work 7 days a week. 
I refused being single.


----------



## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

I was working for a large fertilizer producer. We started on a large $60 MM total ($12 MM electrical) project. When we met with the major contractors for safety rule review the plant policy said cut resistant gloves. The mechanical contractor asked what level. Response was crickets…

I was project engineer for the electrical project. We had about 25 2000 HP, 690 V motors to install. That’s 4 500 MCM cables per phase.We had an electrical crew of about 20 head. One of the guys (kids?) on the crew had just hired in with the contractor 2 weeks before. This was his first job doing anything other than houses. Typical hard luck story too.

It was well known that if you screw up at the fertilizer company, contractor or not, they fire you, especially with 2 weeks under your belt. Well as luck would have it the guy opened his thumb up with a knife while terminating those 500s. The safety department went to work trying to run the guy off. Somehow I got drafted to do the safety investigation,

So skipping forward I had to do a presentation before the jury/executioners. I walked in, pulled out the bloody gloves, and a fresh identical pair. I laid the glove on the table and said “cut resistant level 1”. I took out my utility knife, popped in a fresh blade, took one stroke and sliced all 4 fingers off! Needless to say this got attention. Next I pulled out plant issue cut resistant gloves. “Level 2”. Again a slice. Then some hacking. I got through it but it was obvious you have to make an effort. Next I pulled out a level 4. Basically I dulled the knife.

Needless to say this quick demo got immediate attention since they thought “cut resistant” meant…cut resistant.

So then the little chickadee in the safety department said “oh so we should just make level 4 mandatory”. I was prepared for this too. I handed her the level4 gloves, a terminal strip with the tiny screws, and some stripped wires. I said try to land the wires in the terminal block. After about 2 minutes of frustration she said it’s like wearing cardboard. Also at that time level 2 was about $5 and level 4+ was about $40+.

We walked away with a new policy…cut resistant, level 2+.

This is one of the few (only times) they got something right.


----------



## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

Not really ugly story, just one that (to me) shows the stupidity of the safety police.

I was working for a system integrator at a major pharma company & we were mainly doing paperwork jobs reviewing and revising documentation. I was the designated safety person for our outfit (Had no real special training, just 30 yrs. of experience, so I was chosen). 

Anyway, we we relocating our work area to another part of the faculty. We had to move all of our stuff out of the room. One of my co-workers who known to have a bad back, tried to pick up a large 3-ring binder to put in the pickup truck. I was maybe 6 inches thick and he messed up his back again.

Of course this was considered a “recordable injury” so we filled out all of the paperwork, etc. Pharma Company‘s safety guy (who worked for another outside contractor) wanted to know why we hadn’t hired a moving company to clean out this room. I was speechless and just shook my head and walked away. 

It just seemed silly to think that every task should be subbed out to another contractor including moving some paperwork.


----------



## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

A nearby tire plant is Bridgestone Firestone. When they do jobs more than 4 feet off the ground they require fall protection and hard hats. Ceiling height is about 18 feet. So one day I was standing waiting for a crew to get done and the safety guy was there. He tried starting a conversation with me about how safe they were. I said too bad it’s just for show. He got offended and asked what I meant. I said for one thing nobody in here wears hard hats and those guys are working above where the rest of us are. What is going to hit them on the head. Well that’s just our policy…

Then I said too bad the fall protection is just for show. He then went to explaining how a 6 foot lanyard works to arrest a fall. I said so these guys are tied off to a beam 12 feet off the ground with a 6 foot shock absorbing lanyard. When it deploys to stop a fall, it expands. What length? Answer: 12 feet. I says that’s why your fall protection program is just for show.

Same company had a policy not to work in any electrical equipment live above 50 V. I asked how they determine the voltage. I then said you can’t do electrical lockouts under their policy. He said yea and we must do it. I said then how do I test for voltage. Answer was you don’t. I said then I can’t work on any equipment. I said OSHA Subchapter J says specifically it does not apply to electrical. Electrical is Subchapter S. The lockout procedure has 4 additional requirements, one of which is testing for absence of voltage AND testing the test equipment on a live source to verify it works. Neither test can be done under their policy.

He went back to the office after that. I think he was afraid I was going to bust him on another one iof their “sacred” safety rules.


----------



## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

paulengr said:


> A nearby tire plant is Bridgestone Firestone. When they do jobs more than 4 feet off the ground they require fall protection and hard hats. Ceiling height is about 18 feet. So one day I was standing waiting for a crew to get done and the safety guy was there. He tried starting a conversation with me about how safe they were. I said too bad it’s just ………..
> 
> Same company had a policy not to work in any electrical equipment live above 50 V. I asked how they determine the voltage. I then said you can’t do electrical lockouts under their policy. He said yea and we must do it. I said then how do I test for voltage. Answer was you don’t. I said then I can’t work on any equipment. I said OSHA Subchapter J says specifically it does not apply to electrical. Electrical is Subchapter S. The lockout procedure has 4 additional requirements, one of which is testing for absence of voltage AND testing the test equipment on a live source to verify it works. Neither test can be done under their policy.
> 
> He went back to the office after that. I think he was afraid I was going to bust him on another one iof their “sacred” safety rules.


There have been big debates about requiring these special 3-phase voltage detecting lights on the front of all panels. I maintain they are basically useless because how do you know if they are wired to the proper location & even are they still working properly. 

I would still want to verify the power was indeed off after seeing the light was off & opening the panel door. It’s my understanding that to do a live voltage check you have to guard up in FR equipment, so what’s the point of the lights?


----------



## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

bill39 said:


> There have been big debates about requiring these special 3-phase voltage detecting lights on the front of all panels. I maintain they are basically useless because how do you know if they are wired to the proper location & even are they still working properly.
> 
> I would still want to verify the power was indeed off after seeing the light was off & opening the panel door. It’s my understanding that to do a live voltage check you have to guard up in FR equipment, so what’s the point of the lights?


It’s not a debate and the people producing them have no understanding of safety protocols.

There are already standards in place for safety. You might think that safety relays, lockout/ragout, and for lack of a better word, keeping the bad stuff inside the pipes, have nothing to do with each other. The truth is that for every safety incident it’s usually possible to figure out what the outcome(s) are and how often it has or could happen. We can figure the outcomes with NO safety devices, then add in whatever we use to either reduce the severity or the likelihood or both until we get to a point where we meet standards. When we look at the equipment everything out there or it’s component parts has a track record, even people. We know that people doing routine tasks on average make mistakes about 10% of the time. If they are “having a bad day” (sick, hungover, upset with their relationships, you name it), performance degrades. In a panic emergency situation human error rates increase to 40%!

Now the silly part about LOTO is sure, phase lights are definitely questionable as to whether they are wired up properly. We can of course have one guy install (10% chance), another inspect/test (10%), and a third using the system, putting the chance of failure at 0.1%. But it’s still lockout and still a chance they ignore the lights, lock out the wrong thing, don’t lockout because they’re troubleshooting, or a lot of other reasons. It’s still 10%. So a SIL 1 device has a 10% chance of failure. If all we used is phase lights, I’d call that a 10% chance. So when we use a meter we have a 10% failure rate. Using phase lights alone is an OSHA violation but it might catch say a failed phase on a breaker and an electrician not testing for voltage or maybe locking out the wrong thing. Let’s be generous and say it’s 10% of the lockout failures. So it works 90% of the time so we went from 10% lockout failures to 9.1%. Now they have a really fancy OSHA approved device that does the voltage test for you with built in self test and fully redundant making it SIL 2 or 1% failure rate. So we go from 10% failures to 9.01%. If it was SIL 3 it would be 9.001%. So what would be considered a comparable fatality rate? OSHA, EPA, and most industries except nuclear and airlines use 1 in a million. But we are still circling around 10%.

This is my problem with OSHA saying only physically locking out the power source is acceptable or that only a fully redundant fancy control gadget is an acceptable substitute for a multimeter. We are simply ignoring both our understanding of what it means to be safe (comparable to other risks in the work place) and what risks we focus on. Some robot cells for instance have magnetic gate locks. You can’t enter with power on. Draw out breakers force themselves into a tripped state. Medium voltage starters can’t (shouldn’t) be accessible with the disconnect closed. Then there are various key jnterlock systems. These systems make it where especially with complicated lockouts you are forced into doing the right thing. But none of these matter to OSHA when if comes to lockouts. They instead approved the most wasteful, least improvement possible.


----------



## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

When I was working at the mine, we were doing a PM of an P&H 4100 shovel, one of those strange days were I was put in charge, something I avoided when ever possible. I had an MSHA wander in to the house where all of the work was going on. He did not have safety glasses on so I ran him off the shovel. You all can imagine the screams that went up from the mine management people that were in his tow. Once on the ground I got the lift up and rode down, when into my truck and got him a pair of safety glasses. I carried a spare, always. The mine manger was rumbling about this or that when the man from MSHA announced clearly for everyone to hear. Finally I have run into an employee that sticks to the rules. He was right and did what he should have done. Silence from everyone. If I was on shift I was his driver from that day forward.
Safety at the mine was, preached and taught daily. Then supervisors would break the protocols because they wanted production. I drove out of a pit when the mine the mine manager broke lock out tag out with a second thought. He called me on the radio to wait for him, which I did. Once he knew what I was upset about he made light of it. To mucking lazy to follow the rules, needed the loads from those 3 haul trucks. BS. 
I was lucky the shift supervisor I worked for wrote himself up for minor infractions. He was the only one out there that was more interested in his crew than the load tally. 
Safety is a attitude which needs to be with you all of the time. Blindly following some procedure or device is a fools errand, especially when your dealing with medium voltage. 
I opened a 4000 amp 480v bolted pressure switch, (widow maker). Listened, thought about what I had heard and then stopped everyone from going to work. Supervision was furious. 2 of my men knew me and asked what can we do. We removed all of the screws from the face plate, ( there is a ton of them on the older switches) and low and behold the switch was still closed. 
2 hours later the POCO boys showed shut down the transformer. I had sent most every one home and the 2 guys and I worked on the switch until it operated correctly. Rescheduled the
work, when home and chased my wife and dogs around. Feeling pretty froggie. 
I have had several close calls, and I believe that I am smarter and more attentive than the average bear. Close calls can be informative IF you analyze the situation and LEARN from the mistake. Only person that can do that is you. Not some procedure, set of lights or some stupid box of locks where I have seen people give their keys away so they can leave early.
The mine was lock out, tag out, try out. Still there were mistakes causing people to go to the hospital.


----------



## gpop (May 14, 2018)

Was PMing a safety door switch on a large hammer mill when i looked at the rotor and noticed the hammers had been installed wrong and had eaten the rotor really thin. I informed the shift supervisor and told them that it was amazing it hadn't let go and there was no way to return it to service until the rotor was changed.
He agreed so i applied a lock and a tag stating the problem. 

After 2 down day i come back and all hell is breaking loose. Turns out maintenance said it would last till next shutdown as production was all over there arse and a upper manager had over ridden me as i was no longer maintenance i was electrical. 
They followed all the procedure to remove a lock so no harm done. They told me i had a meeting in the morning with HR which i presumed was a arse chewing for locking out the equipment. 

Later that shift there was a huge bang when a hammer detached destroying the mill and the screw conveyors above and below it. Armour plating kept most of the parts inside the mill and no one got hurt. 

Went to the HR meeting and the VP walked in and handed me a check for $1k as a award. Never removed another lock of mine.


----------



## gpop (May 14, 2018)

One of the clean up crew failed a inspection on a piece of equipment after locks had been removed. She should have re-locked the equipment and got a supervisor to test the equipment but it was just one little spot so she climbed on the equipment. 

Maintenance was running equipment in hand which unfortunately mean anything behind it in auto can start. 

Earlier that day i had a PM on all e-stops. Its boring and we might find a problem every 3-4 years on a pm we do bi-weekly. Well we found one that kinda failed due to water intrusion (rattled the relay before opening) so we replaced the button assembly and tested it. Luck of the Irish that was the same e-stop someone pushed to save the cleaners life. 

Never felt such a sense of relief when they told me the e-stop worked. Next PM we disassembled ever e-stop and replaced anything that didn't look shinny and new.


----------



## seelite (Aug 24, 2009)

All the above point out that while a lifetime is made up of many instants, accidents occur in only an instant. Saw this happen 40 some years ago. Carpenter was walking around the site with a nail gun, had his finger on the trigger. Nothing happened as the gun only fired when the head was depressed AND the trigger pulled. Two safeties! Yup, he stumbled, the gun hit his kneecap, (trigger already depressed) and he put a 3in. (10d.) nail THRU his knee. Emergency services (volunteer) only 8 miles away took some time getting there. Fortunately for the injured he passed out during which time he didn't feel the pain. OUCH. Because of fools like this, we (down in the states) now have to look over our shoulder to see if OSHA is on site. Please stay safe, no fun having to care for the victim and even less fun for the vic.


----------



## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

My wife worked the front desk for a dentist. Carpenter walked in with a nailgun nail through his gum. Walked. In. They put him in the chair and got ready to numb him.

Passed out when he saw the needle. His wife said he hated needles.


----------



## gpop (May 14, 2018)

Friend does roofing and has a habit of taping the trigger on. He walks alone the shingles and just bump the tip of the gun which is a incredible fast way to do it.

Idiot kicked the gun one day and shot himself in the foot. Had to use a nail bar so he could get his boot off.


----------



## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

i will never understand ppl who tape triggers and do other similar things
is it that hard to hold the trigger ?


----------



## Forge Boyz (Nov 7, 2014)

Almost Retired said:


> i will never understand ppl who tape triggers and do other similar things
> is it that hard to hold the trigger ?


Have you ever used a nail gun for an extended time? I can understand why you would want to tape a trigger down, but it is a very stupid idea to do so.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk


----------



## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

Forge Boyz said:


> Have you ever used a nail gun for an extended time? I can understand why you would want to tape a trigger down, but it is a very stupid idea to do so.
> 
> Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk


since i am not a carpenter or roofer ... no
is grabbing the trigger slowing you down ?
or is holding it actually tiring ?

i am aware that many pros do it and even some diy guys

i am also aware that a portion of the bump safety can be damaged, and if you connect the air it will empty the magazine and continue

i think of them as firearms since they shoot a projectile


----------



## Forge Boyz (Nov 7, 2014)

Almost Retired said:


> since i am not a carpenter or roofer ... no
> is grabbing the trigger slowing you down ?
> or is holding it actually tiring ?
> 
> ...


Depending on the trigger design and pressure required to hold it it can get tiring.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk


----------

