Although you may believe that your workplace is safe, it could be dangerous. The following readers proved that no workplace is immune to injury and accidents, even in the most extreme cases. Their stories are a reminder to be vigilant and follow established safety protocols, no matter where you work.
Alice Eve
Alice Eve, Marketing Director, Cicinia Europe.
Guillotine Paper Cutters Cut Fingers
My previous job was in advertising. Although it wasn’t the most dangerous job in the world, we used a lot knives and sharp objects. Present boards, brochure comps, and complex 3-D models had to all be made out of foam core and paper.
My first job as an agency was with a direct mail company. Nearly everything we made was printed on paper. We used more paper than average agencies, so we often used a guillotine-sized paper cutter that could rip through small phone books in one go.
We heard a loud scream from the pasteup area as we were getting ready for departure on Friday afternoon. Clara, one our art directors was apparently in a rush and tried to save time by cutting a lot of papers at once. As she held the stack, her index finger fell and she lowered the heavy knife. Her left index finger was guillotined. Dave, one our colleagues, came in and led her to a sink in the darkroom. He also called for help with the first aid kit.
Dave and the hospital’s skilled surgeons helped Clara to keep her finger from being permanently broken. However, Clara had to take about a week off for recovery.
Waiter fell and cracked his head on the cement counter
In my 20’s, I worked in a coffee shop close to my college campus. We served light lunches and mostly caffeinated drinks on our menu. The carbonara sauce was accidentally spilled by the barista while he prepared the pasta. He decided to mop up the sauce spilled on the floor.
Our waiter was hurrying because one of our customers was already insane. He slipped on the carbonara and hit his head against the cement counter. The cement edge pierced his back and he became unconscious.
Marty Spargo
Marty Spargo, Reize club.
Veronica Thompson
Veronica Thompson is the Chief Operating Officer of Everyday Power. She is also a graduate of the MBA. She enjoys baking, dancing, and painting in her spare time.
Foot was caught in a rice threshing machine
I was previously employed in an international agricultural research organisation before joining this company. We visited one of the satellite offices in Southeast Asia once. The workers demonstrated how they harvest and process rice grains.
The rice threshing machine was malfunctioning, so one worker kicked it. The machine suddenly started, but the worker’s foot was caught in it. It was a bloody accident that left him very traumatized.
One of the workers was very fast and could pull the other one out. The accident victim lost his index and big toes. This is by far the most horrific workplace accident I’ve ever seen.
Leg pierced with Lumber
One man was kicked in his leg by a table saw. My previous job was with a furniture manufacturer. They used mainly cottonwood for the sofa frames but also used other woods. The logs were then cut on-site into the sizes they needed. After the lumber was cut into large slabs, an industrial table saw was used for cutting it into usable lumber.
Because we were low-wage laborers, most of us were under twenty years old. The man at the table saw was still in his early twenties. A slab measuring more than a foot in length, three inches thick and possibly ten feet in length was being ripped (cut with the grain)
The end of the saw was possibly two feet in length and jagged from a break. As the saw kicked it back, the lumber hit the foreman’s leg. The wood point then passed through the side and emerged the other way. The jagged end, which pierced muscle tissue and skin, drew blood.
An older man grabbed the younger man and jumped from his desk. The older man reached down to cut the wood and left a large splinter in the young man’s legs. Although the piece of wood he had broken was smaller than the ones in his thighs, it was still quite substantial. I was unable to comprehend the old man’s strength.
Before they disappeared, the elder man carried the wounded man between himself and another man. The young foreman survived, fortunately. The wood pierced his thigh, passing between the femoral vein and the bone. My mind still remembers the older man breaking off the wood slab point using his naked hands.
Max Shak
Max Shak, Chief Financial Officer of Abtron.com.
Gisera Matanda
Gisera Matanda is the Co-Founder and Marketing Director of WeLoans.
A colleague’s leg was burned by an overheated PC Tower
One of the most horrific workplace injuries I have witnessed was when a computer tower overheated and burned one of my colleagues’ legs. He sustained third-degree burns. This is the most serious workplace injury I have seen due to the fact that my job involves many clerical tasks. An injury such as the one I witnessed was almost impossible to comprehend in such an environment. This is why it surprised many people.
Management rushed to help the employee injured and offered compensation. The computers were also replaced in a matter of days and new surge control systems were installed.
This article was crowdsourced. Statements of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of this website, other businesses, or other contributors.
What are your worst workplace injuries stories? was first published by Las Vegas Personal Injuries Attorneys.