Getting injured on the jobMy worst job was not so bad at the best of times. I did landscaping with a property management company. I could spend time outdoors, get some exercise, and I didn't have to put up with any fussy managers.
Unfortunately, I found myself working one day with an ancient guy named Alphonse. He was really too old to be handling a chainsaw, but by his judgment, I was too young (16). So I tried to keep busy, very carefully pulling away fallen branches that he had cut from the top of a ladder next to a tree. I kept an eye on him, and I didn't get near him while he was cutting...
But as you can imagine, things eventually went horribly wrong. He fired up the saw while I was not far enough away. I took my eyes off of him, because sawdust was starting to fall towards me. I felt something bump me on the head and go *PLONK* on the ground next to me.
I figured it was a branch that had fallen on my head, so I looked up at him and said, 'Watch it with the branches will you?' He was pointing a shaky finger at me, and gurgling some incomprehensible warning. I looked down, and saw that the skin on the top of my right arm had been torn away in a 2.5x8-inch strip. Inside, I could see muscle, bone, sinew, and subcutaneous fat. There was the chainsaw on the ground. He had cut a branch which hit him on the head, causing him to drop the saw, the engine part of which hit me on the head, then pivoted and attacked my now upreached arm as I reacted.
I looked back at him and yelled, 'GET HELP!' From the top of the ladder, he stood there, perhaps in shock, and yelled back, 'Yeah, go get help.' Thanks.
I dashed into the nearest house, scared the crap out of the lady that lived there, who wrapped a dishtowel around my arm and sped me to the nearest hospital. In the end, I received over 50 stitches in my arm, and 8 in my scalp.
I got quite a bit of compensation out of it, and I have no loss of function in the arm, just a really mean-looking scar. I don't go anywhere near chainsaws now.
Not so much a story about a bad job as a story about a bad day, I guess. Still...
(,
Wed 12 Nov 2003, 9:53,
archived)
Unfortunately, I found myself working one day with an ancient guy named Alphonse. He was really too old to be handling a chainsaw, but by his judgment, I was too young (16). So I tried to keep busy, very carefully pulling away fallen branches that he had cut from the top of a ladder next to a tree. I kept an eye on him, and I didn't get near him while he was cutting...
But as you can imagine, things eventually went horribly wrong. He fired up the saw while I was not far enough away. I took my eyes off of him, because sawdust was starting to fall towards me. I felt something bump me on the head and go *PLONK* on the ground next to me.
I figured it was a branch that had fallen on my head, so I looked up at him and said, 'Watch it with the branches will you?' He was pointing a shaky finger at me, and gurgling some incomprehensible warning. I looked down, and saw that the skin on the top of my right arm had been torn away in a 2.5x8-inch strip. Inside, I could see muscle, bone, sinew, and subcutaneous fat. There was the chainsaw on the ground. He had cut a branch which hit him on the head, causing him to drop the saw, the engine part of which hit me on the head, then pivoted and attacked my now upreached arm as I reacted.
I looked back at him and yelled, 'GET HELP!' From the top of the ladder, he stood there, perhaps in shock, and yelled back, 'Yeah, go get help.' Thanks.
I dashed into the nearest house, scared the crap out of the lady that lived there, who wrapped a dishtowel around my arm and sped me to the nearest hospital. In the end, I received over 50 stitches in my arm, and 8 in my scalp.
I got quite a bit of compensation out of it, and I have no loss of function in the arm, just a really mean-looking scar. I don't go anywhere near chainsaws now.
Not so much a story about a bad job as a story about a bad day, I guess. Still...
More chainsawsNot appropriate at all to this thread but a nice story...
...I worked for a while at Kew Gardens, and while there I was invited to a massive leaving do for one of the 'tree gang'. This guy had been a tree surgeon at Kew for about 40 years, they gave him a lovely send off with wine, beer, buffet and a decent present too. A great evening.
The next week a letter arrives from his solicitor: he was sueing them for 'white hand' contracted from all his chainsaw work!
Nice one!
(,
Wed 12 Nov 2003, 13:48,
archived)
...I worked for a while at Kew Gardens, and while there I was invited to a massive leaving do for one of the 'tree gang'. This guy had been a tree surgeon at Kew for about 40 years, they gave him a lovely send off with wine, beer, buffet and a decent present too. A great evening.
The next week a letter arrives from his solicitor: he was sueing them for 'white hand' contracted from all his chainsaw work!
Nice one!