Man decapitated during rescue attempt

“Man, I have run across more idiots in construction....

Several rules broken here. First and foremost, the trench must be safe before you go in. Some one is designated a "competent person" to determine this. Second, the guy getting in the trench has to feel comfortable. Most importantly, when an emergency happens, keep your cool and don't get so excited. You can not, repeat, can not dig up a man with a backhoe. You can, however, dig up half a man. IDIOTS!!!!! That operator should have dug next to where he dug the trench and released the pressure off those poor saps. Then when he had relieved the pressure, hand digging was the word....

This kind of stuff pisses me off. It is totally avoidable.”

“what do you expect for NYC? bunch of dumb Porto ricans, hiatiens, and greasy guineas.”

“Just to be the designated TT gruesome smart a$$, since the work was being done to make a sewer hookup, you could say they cut off a head while trying to connect a head.

Sorry, I couldn't help it at this time in the semester.”

“We used to use propane "hi-hat" heaterrs on jobsites. They were the accepted method of temporary heat. (Incidents such as this have changed that). Basically, heavy duty rubber gas hoses were run into the building from the LP tank(s). They were fairly durable. You could run a wheel barrow over them and no harm was done. You could even run hard rubber tires over them, similar to what platform lifts had. The gas pressure would be shut off, but if you drove over them, it wasn't a problem, so long as you didn't stop on them. Obviously, you drove around them, or lifted them up as needed, or put a bridge over them. You never deliberatly drove on a hose, but if you did, there was plenty of safety factor, that it wasn't a problem.

That was for the rubber hose. Let's talk about the brass fittings now. Wheel barrow tire- no problem. Hard rubber platform lift tire-BIG PROBLEM. Let's also talk about the son of the boss's friend, a total idiot. He has just run over a fitting and crcked it. Now, LP gas is leaking pretty well into the work area. Fortunately, a large work area. Does he shut the gas off? NO. Does he call to me and tell me what happened. Yes, at least he did that. As I am quickly heading to the gas valve, I find I must stop. So I send my right hand man to shut the valve. Why must I stop, on such an important mission, you may ask? Since this total idiot could no longer work, and he had notified me of the leak, he figured it would be a good time to light up a cigarette!!!!! He couldn't understand what I was yelling at him about as I clap a couple boards around the cigarette. I couldn't throw the cigarette on the floor and stomp on it, that's where the gas was. I informed the job super and recomended that he be removed from the jobsite. The alternative was for at least one other worker to go home-ME!!! Several others were ready to follow me.

Just because you work safely, you still have to watch out for the other guy. I've had quite a few applicants tell me they bought a hammer last weekend and actually used it so they are carpenters and want carpenters wages....”

“Here is why I could never do a rock klimb with the Belay system. I'd have to be able to trust the other guy.

I was working with another guy, actually a fairly competent person, but a little green. The job involved him controlling the lift I was in. No controls in the bucket. Accepted OSHA approved practice at the time. I had my safety belt on, etc....

Anyways, I am the more experienced, so I am assigned to perform the work. This guy is competent, in my opinion, to hoist me around. If he wasn't, I'm not getting in the box.

I perform the job, and am finished. The lift has the motor running and he is in the drivers seat, looking around and alternatly up at me. He's daydreaming, and I am leaning on the rail, hoping he'll look my way and bring me down. After a couple minutes, I'm hollering and waving and I can't get his attention. I get real animated, mind you I am not worried, I'm fairly comfy, and besides, I'm paid by the hour. But we do need to get on with it.

Suddenly he looks up and sees me all franticly trying to get his attention, and he realizes he has been daydreaming and just got caught. He very quickly grabs the controls and wham!!! he slams the box into the wall, with me in it. I immediately give him the all stop command. He catches his breath, as do I. He let's me down real slow. I tell, as calm as I can, that when you are in that seat, you are in control. I don't care what happens, or what I am calling you, you run those controls carefully and deliberatly. He apologizes and i have never worked with a more careful operator since. All was well.

Next jobsite, the boss sends a laborer over to my machine, to relieve my operator, the same one who slammed me into the wall. I liked having him after that event, as we both lived thru it, and neither of us wanted that to happen again. The laborer that was sent over to relieve him was his brother. I knew him well, a nice kid. But he didn't have the sense God gave a goose. He stayed up late on the internet and came into work with maybe an hours sleep, to boot. Well, when I turned around and saw him in the driver's seat, I unhooked my safety harness, grabbed onto the wall and klimbed down and told the super that if I ever saw that laborer heading in the genral direction of my lift again, I'll jump out of it again and head for my car. He wasn't even qualified to drive the lift, much less operate the controls. I got my operator back.

I tell you, you have to watch out for yourself.”

“I've got more stories, but I'm getting a headache.....”

“I don't think you could ever get me into one of those lifts...heard too many horror stories.

A guy who I had doing some work on my house had been a big dealer for Case. One day, a guy working for him accidentally killed another crew member by lifting him into some power lines. The dealer couldn't handle it after that and ended up losing the business.”

“Yeah, nowadays, I don't get in the lift unless I have the controls at my station.”

“Iffin' I'm working on an engine, I want the keys in my pocket. Iffin' I'm unsnarling fishing gear from a prop, I want the keys in my pocket again.

You want me to walk on that staging? You're gonna have to let me inspect first. I have had 3 of them come out from under me. I was fortunate all three times and rode em down right. I figure I ain't got much luck left, and I'm even leaner on the resiliantsy (sp) of my youth. All 3 times, I was told that stagin's safe....

If I can't be in control of my destiny in construction, I have offered to go home before. Thing is, I am a pretty good lead construction worker, so if I go home, alot of production is lost. They pretty much do what it takes to appease me (read that: make it safe), but I don't think I should have to threaten to leave to get it safe. I really haven't done it too many times. The boss will let me make it safe while I am setting it up, then I am comfortable enough to put forth some pretty good production, as are my co-workers.”

“Your a control freak.

And you'll live a lot longer that way.


The key thing should be basic. I use to get mad at folks that didnt check their rigging, even if I set it up.

Stay smart, stay safe.”

“Wow, could u imagine going out like that??”

“Out here in CA, if I remember correctly, all treches 4 ft or deeper must be shored.

About a year or two ago, a trench collasped on a worker. He was upright with his head and shoulders above the ground in a shallow trent but he still died. I think the cause was acidosis. He couldn't expand his lungs properly resulting CO2 buildup in the bloodstream.

ps. I am not a doctor... of medicine anyway.”

“Wow! Hey, I'm just a teacher and it's going to stay that way. Kewl stories, though, monkeyboy.”

“Control Freak? More like smart AND careful. Construction and industrial trades have enough hazard as it is without adding the sloppy idiot factor.”

“OSHA is going to lay the hammer down on that company.”

“Would be rescuer:
"I'm sorry, I lost my head"
victim: "You should talk."
rescuer: "He was my only friend, now I've got nobody."
victim's head: You should talk.

(inspired by a Mad Magazine I read as a wee lad)”

“How about this one?

I was working with a group of guys, all of us buddies. Most of us used the sidewinder style skil saws (Which, incidentally, had an electric brake on them to stop them instantly), while one guy liked the worm drive style. If you use a worm drive style saw, you are quite likely to jam the guard open with a wood shingle. Some don't, but most do. I have used them and, frankly, I do not see why they need to be jammed open. But... once again, the stupid idiots, do jam it open.

Can you just about guess where this is going now?

Anyways, IF you are the only guy using the worm drive saw, and you have jammed the guard open, you have probably also driven about 4 spikes into the horse to hang the saw on. You make a cut, and while the blade is coasting to a stop, you hang it on the nails and continue working. (You can bet my buddy from OSHA hated to see 4 spikes driven together on a wooden horse, as that meant only one thing.....)

As the day proceeds, we are using our assigned saws, and occasionally, if you are near another saw, you just grab it, use it and set it down. All the sidewinders, stopped instantly, and the guards, being spring loaded, returned to their protective positions. No problems, well for most of the day. Remember the worm drive saw with the guard jammed open and the blade coasting to a stop.....

Lee grabbed the saw chopped a 2 by 4 and set the saw on the wood horse. Do you have a good idea of just about how high the saw horse is? Think about it! Can you say Lorenna Bobbit? Anyways, the blade is still coasting when he sets it on to the horse. He wasn't expecting anything to happen and the saw jumps right back at him.




Slicing, slicing, slicing, right through his nail apron and nails, through his pants and somehow stops before it gets through his underware. That was the ned of jamming the guard open. It's too bad it takes something like this to put a stop to such stupidity.

Lee acts as though all is cool, and he is a good friend of the who jammed the saw open. But you could tell...... He's freaked a bit, and we all are. Guys are saying poor Lee.
I'm saying "Poooooorrrr Leeeeeeee........."s wife" Everybody else chimes in and we are all lamenting what almost happened to his wife!!!!! Just trying to break the tension, and we are all having a good laugh. After a while, Lee finally looses it and shouts at us "What's all this talk about my poor wife, what about poor Lee!!!!!" After that tirade, we kinda let it go. But we all remember that incident.”

“That was the ned = There was no need

Don't understand how that happened.”

“makes me shudder. way way too close.”