Stupid things you did at work that you learned from.

[Skoaltender]

As a first year machinist the company I worked for had ZERO belief in safety and so did I. I would work all day with my hoody on and sleeves down. After watching a co-worker of mine nearly get fully wrapped around a chuck one day I decided to quit that job and take my personal safety a little more seriously.

[Bigwoodsman]

Early '80's I was driving a 1974 W900 Kenworth. Had it backed in the wash bay. When I finished washing it the darn thing wouldn't start. I drug the booster/charger over to give it a boost. The battery box is located directly under the drivers seat. I did not realize that there was a crack in one if the batteries. I hooked up the cabels and turned the 24volt boost on. It didn't draw like normal so I bent down and stuck my face into the opening and grabbed the cabels to give a them a wiggle to ensure a good connection. One of them sparked, KABOOM the battery exploded right in my face. I'm hit with battery shrapnel and acid. The burning starts immediately. Our shop was a block from Cold Lake run down the street and jump into the lake. Mid October that lake is cold. At least the burning is stopped. Something cut the top of my head so I was bleeding and suffering from hypothermia, shivering like crazy. Coworker showed up at the lake shore and took me to the hospital. They cleaned the blood up and got the bleeding stopped. Warmed me up and released me. Told me I probably saved my self severe scaring from the acid burns by jumping in the lake.

Ever since I've had great respect for batteries.

BW

[huntinstuff]

Read the report. Look at the pics

I didn’t

Turned my back on a guy someone profiled as a killer. He had a .45 in his belt when I turned my back on him

Someone shot him in the back of the head.

Lesson learned. Read reports. Remember faces. Especially faces who carry .45’s.....

Like Ken said in his post. Ask last names of dames. Some guys actually blame the guy when their gf or wife goes astray........go figure.

[jpohlic]

Dated a coworker.... bad idea, lesson learned

[Unregistered user]

Decked an a-train lead full of gas over a pit.

[Unregistered user]

Jpholic, I did the same thing twice, both times got ugly.

[roughneckin]

Used a pair of cutting goggles rather than a full mask when plasma cutting angles on 310 stainless tubing. Only person I knew that didn’t visit Mexico with a full head sunburn in the middle of January.
Cleaned the ice off the catwalk with the steam hose and no hearing protection. Ringing for 5 straight days. Wear it all the time now. Scared the crap out of me.

[3blade]

Originally Posted by jpohlic

Dated a coworker.... bad idea, lesson learned

That's its own thread Bad idea, very very bad, most definitly inviting a crap storm..... but worth it

[58thecat]

Don't tell the boss he is a fat slob and your gunning for his job so things get turned around for the best....learning to be tactful has to have a starting point I guess.

[Ranch11]

I’ll never rope a cow on a half cinch never, ever again.

[wolf308]

Originally Posted by sillyak

Vac truck sucking on a little tank we were cleaning out (6 m^3, hole in the bottom hatch up top.) Not supposed to go inside, but there was some stubborn stuff at the back. Told my coworker I'll just hop in for a second watch my back please. ****ing idiot thought it would be funny to close the hatch to "leave me in the dark for a second" as he was closing the hatch the vaccum sucked it out of his hand and he realized he was a ****ing idiot. He managed to pull it open before the vaccum really grabbed it, but it was close, my ears popped and I could feel the air suck out of my lungs.

I've never been more angry in my life than when I flew out of that hatch.

Safety rules are there for a reason, don't ignore them.

Hey I work in the patch too around testers and vac trucks all the time. Man I've never thought of that b4 .... eesh ..... scary .... you would probably be clear and in the free to deck that guy in that circumstance

[buckbrush]

Years ago, working on a service rig. Spooling on drill line. (7/8" steel cable)
I was running the spool on the spool stand, feeding out cable as the other hands fed it into the drawworks and the operator was running the draw works.
I spooled to much off and a loop got hung up under the spool causing everything to pull tight.

Everyone started yelling to feed more drill line as the draw works pulled it tight.
In a panick I kicked the "loop" that was snagged. It flipped around and hit me on the jaw like being hit by 10 guys at once.
next thing I know I am waking up on the ground.
According to the derrick man I had gone up about 2 feet off the cat walk then cleared the hand rail before landing on the ground.

Couldn't chew with out pain for a few months after that but was able to keep working after a smoke break.

Amazing how times have changed. I still don't understand how I was not seriously injured by this.

[Iron Brew]

Didn't listen to the old guys. Cleaning swarf out of a lathe, and I'd always been told to use hooks and pliers. Was using VERY heavy gloves cause, well, old guys don't know it all.

One visit to the ER later, and I NEVER move swarf by hand.



Summer student, climbed a ladder carrying a couple of bundles of shingles. Well, ladder started to slide. Shingles went down three floors (basement hadn't been backfilled). I was able to get enough roof for the carpenter to get over there and help me.



Not all obvious dangers are obvious before you discover the hard way to use your noggin.

[Freedom55]

Stupidest thing I ever did was go to work at all. I should have been a politician. Better pension.

[Stinky Buffalo]

First day at work at a fancy office, I accidentally hit the "brew" button on the coffee maker... Twice.

Originally Posted by Freedom55

Stupidest thing I ever did was go to work at all. I should have been a politician. Better pension.

I hear ya!

[Hooter]

Originally Posted by Positrac

I once ate a big bag of grapes on a short coffee break. They were like crack to me and I couldn't stop. As soon as I was done I got bundled up for the -30 weather, jumped in the basket of a 125' manlift and went up to torque the point sheave supernuts on a P&H 4100 shovel. I wasn't up there 10 minutes when I could feel something run from one side of my belly to the other and back again. That same instant my 'ol brown eye did the boop, boop pucker. Man...I knew what was coming next and I had that basket plummeting to earth as fast as the hydraulics would go at -30. I hit the ground running with a trail of PPE, coveralls and clothing all the way to the wash car. I'm sure I had nothing on when I damn-near ripped the door off it's hinges getting through it as fast as I could. I remember clear-as-day a co-worker standing in front of the sink when I came through. His natural reflex was to coil up cowering with his arms going up around his head as I ran past him. He must have thought I'd gone mad. I didn't even have the stall door closed and I'm not sure if I was even sitting down when the flood gate opened up! If I had been unlucky enough to even have a belt on that day it would have ended a whole lot worse...

Now THAT'S funny (especially because I know the feeling).

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Positrac

I once ate a big bag of grapes on a short coffee break. They were like crack to me and I couldn't stop. As soon as I was done I got bundled up for the -30 weather, jumped in the basket of a 125' manlift and went up to torque the point sheave supernuts on a P&H 4100 shovel. I wasn't up there 10 minutes when I could feel something run from one side of my belly to the other and back again. That same instant my 'ol brown eye did the boop, boop pucker. Man...I knew what was coming next and I had that basket plummeting to earth as fast as the hydraulics would go at -30. I hit the ground running with a trail of PPE, coveralls and clothing all the way to the wash car. I'm sure I had nothing on when I damn-near ripped the door off it's hinges getting through it as fast as I could. I remember clear-as-day a co-worker standing in front of the sink when I came through. His natural reflex was to coil up cowering with his arms going up around his head as I ran past him. He must have thought I'd gone mad. I didn't even have the stall door closed and I'm not sure if I was even sitting down when the flood gate opened up! If I had been unlucky enough to even have a belt on that day it would have ended a whole lot worse...

You win the internet award today for creative writing. That is the funniest damn thing I have heard in a long time.

I had a couple similar situations 'go off' on me that almost ended in supervisors getting punched out because they would not spell me off when it was really required.
I just made them clean up after.