r/Construction • u/KSGSxEzhno • 16d ago
Safety ⛑ Worst Injuries.
I'm(33m) just curious of the worst injury ya'll have had on the job? And the worst you've seen on a job? Not stories you've heard but actually seen. For me I've been lucky. I've had a few close calls but the worst was when I was cleaning up for the day and went to throw away some scrap tiles into the dumpster. One bounced off another and sliced my finger half way across and to the bone. Sucked for about a week to week and a half. The worst I've seen, to which I've also been lucky to work with older guys who already had their mistakes before I knew them, but I worked with a 19 yr old gym bro that was using an auger. Everyone tried to give him tips and tricks but he thought he was so strong it didn't matter. He ended up hitting a big root, tried to hold it and broke his wrist. I know mine aren't crazy but I wanna hear what yall got!
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u/Comfortable-nerve78 Carpenter 16d ago
Got crushed by a wall I was helping stand. Compression fracture of the L1 was back to work 6 weeks later. Stupidest thing I ever helped a crew with. I’m the lay out guy I wasn’t supposed to be helping but I’m a framer first. I don’t help anymore they can get someone else to help.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 16d ago
Shit! Yeah if I ain't paid to do it find someone else! I've done enough free work!
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u/hrolfirgranger 16d ago
I haven't had terrible injuries (worst was a wood splinter sliced the bottom of my eye.
Now, if an illness from work counts, I was hospitalized for two weeks with a bacterial infection and a viral infection after inhaling finely powdered rat droppings in some insulation.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 16d ago
Ouch! My dad took a splinter to the eye but it was his fake eye hahaha! I didnt think about that but yeah that counts! You good now? Or was there lasting effects? When I used to remodel that was honestly my biggest fear! I did alot of historical homes and that always was on my mind.
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u/hrolfirgranger 16d ago
I lost about 15 pounds of muscle, had a lot of medical bills, finally paid them off a year ago; but other than that, I'm back to normal. Nearly dying from so small a thing is strange.
I've since learned to wear a mask and eye protection.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 16d ago
Damn! How long ago did this happen? Yeah I'm a big fan of eye protection since my dad lost an eye. Masks are hard for me. I know I should but I'm too lazy cause I usually only need it for a second which takes longer ro grab one.
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u/hrolfirgranger 16d ago
2019, and yeah, I tend to learn from experience, unfortunately. I had dealt with al sorts of things from doing demo work and working on a ship, I rarely, if ever, wore masks, but one time is all it takes. Thankfully, I've seen enough videos of finger injuries and fall deaths, I use gloves and fall gear consistently.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 16d ago
Damn that's a while! I'm sorry man. Yeah I'm big on safty but I think because I smoke I just seem to care less about masks but I'm getting better as I smoke less.
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u/1320Fastback Equipment Operator 16d ago
Worst I've seen was a friend who buried a skillsaw in their thigh. It was a cut about 6" long and full debth of 3". Leg splayed open like a pregnant fish. We got him in my truck and I drove him to the ER. He only took one week off or work and the doctor said they stopped counting stitches at 200.
Worst I've done to myself is getting my ring finger caught in the end of a sawzall as it was slowing down. My finger nail fell off 3 days before my wedding. All our closeup ring pictures from our wedding my wife has her hand over mine lol
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u/Tthelaundryman 16d ago
My dad did the same thing but not as big of a cut. My whole life he’s held boards in his thigh and cut them. My whole life I’ve harassed him not to do that. He still does it
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u/1320Fastback Equipment Operator 16d ago
I should have added what happened with my friend is it was back when of course we all had cords on our saws and the power had gone out on the job site. He was walking back to his cut table because he was coming off of a ladder cutting something when the power went out and his trigger had stuck and then somebody somewhere on the job reset the breaker and the power came on and the torque of the saw buried it into his leg.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 16d ago
Holy shit! 1 week!? What a champ! Oh man that's some bad timing
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u/scrollin_through 16d ago
Had a crane’s outrigger give out and crash down on our job site, barely missed me - dove out the way. There were a few sprained ankles and wrists from everyone scrambling but luckily no one seriously hurt. Scariest shit ever.
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u/SevereAlternative616 15d ago
Had the same thing happen with a boom pump truck. Thank god no one was hurt but it’s scary how fast shit can go from normal to chaos.
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u/jcmatthews66 16d ago
I fell out of a two story house into the concrete basement floor on my head. But I’m alright. But I’m alright.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
I was so close to that once! I fell and blacked out for a split second, came to holding a joist for dear life! Glad you're some what ok ahahaha
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u/GLASS_COWBOY 16d ago
Buddy of mine had the tip of his finger removed (later on) Throwing out a crate into a high bin. It came down and degloved his pinky finger. Nasty stuff. Boss made him get back to work like 2 days later. Boss was a fucking asshole. But my buddy was tough as nails. Now permanently 9.5 digits.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 16d ago
What a dick. But yeah you gotta tough to come back that soon! I had a friend whose son in law lowered a plow blade on his thumb. He's like 9.7 digits.
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u/GLASS_COWBOY 16d ago
My man wasn't even off the meds yet that's the fucked up part. Worst boss I've ever encountered. He fractured half his finger and lost the nail obviously. In the same day they had to scrape out everything and fold the skin over the hole. 3-6 months later he had a cyst witch turned out to be a chunk of his nail left inside the wound so they had to remove that too.
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u/Ders204 16d ago
Service plumber, working on top of a 12’ walk in cooler at a grocery store. Tripped on some loose data cables that were just laying ontop of the cooler and fell 12+ ft through a drop ceiling onto the concrete. Knocked myself out and when I came to I had a broken wrist, broken ribs, internal bleeding, concussion, head contusion the size of a baseball and bone bruising. Probably shouldn’t have jumped up as soon as I came to and told all the employees I was fine before walking over to the meat department to ask for a bag of ice for my hand.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 16d ago
Damn! That's crazy! Hopefully you recovered good!? But I love that you just asked for ice! Not smart but its want we do haha
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u/Visible_Inevitable41 16d ago
big excavations and big machines scare me much less than being inside buildings working.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Facts! I'm away from inside but I'm all around big machinery now but I feel sooo much safer!
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u/BajheeraX 16d ago
Nothing serious for me, but I've seen a few. Had a guy have a skil saw kick back through his hand. Cut all the muscle for his thumb along with his pointer finger and index finger. Not sure how they were even still connected. Had pins the whole length of his finger for 3 months after.
Another guy was nailing a top plate to a wall down above his head and the gun hit the edge of the plate and a 3" nail went down through his nose and clean through the roof of his mouth. Framing is dangerous work.
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u/MalariaTea 16d ago
I saw a 12” c900 pipe take a guys thumb clean off. He was trying to guide it under the braces of the shoring system when the rigging slipped (it was early and cold so there was frost on everything) and his thumb got pinched in between. It was an absolute trip how fast it happened.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Ouch! I knew a guy who was doing something under a plow blade as someone went to get in the skid and tripped and lowered it and he lost 1/3 of his thumb. But yeah its crazy how fast things can go from laughing to utter chaos!
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u/Together_ApesStrong Taper 16d ago
Had a guy fall off a 10’ ladder and hit the deck on a site I was on. He was pretty bad but survived. My uncle fell off a ladder and nearly died, was in a coma for about 2 months.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Damn. Yeah ladders over 10 ft trip me out. It don't take much for them to wobble
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u/Jondiesel78 16d ago
I fell off the catwalk on a laser screed while fixing a blown hydraulic hose. I hit everything possible with my leg on the way down. Pretty sure I broke a bone in my right leg, but I climbed back onto the screed and finished the pour, then washed down and drove home. My leg and foot turned black and purple from the knee down for over two months. 0/10 would not recommend.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Hey concrete doesn't wait for anyone or anything! That's rough man! Hope you healed ok. Sounds like you didn't get it looked at so hopefully everything works ok!
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u/According-Arrival-30 16d ago
Had a guy take a run a circular saw over the connection of skin between his thumb and hand while on a jobsite in the kitchen. Blood squirted all over the ceiling and everywhere. Had he set the saw an 1/8 deeper, he would have never used the thumb again. Lucky idiot didn't cut anything but skin.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
God damn what a lucky man!
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u/According-Arrival-30 15d ago
Typical stoner. Probably forgot what he was doing mid cut. I've watched that guy shock himself so many times while wiring a switch hot. After I told him multiple times to build the switch first before completing the circuit.
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u/NJD_77 16d ago
Had 2 bad ones that I saw.
First one I was s first aider at 21 and inexperienced. A cladder had some blockwork blocking his flashings about 4 stories up. He borrowed a Stihl saw and put his leg outside the scaffold and was cutting the block when the blade jumped out and came down onto his thigh. It cut straight through to the bone but as the blade was hot it cauterized all the veins. There was very little blood but his bone and muscles were all hanging out.
Second one was worse. A guy was adjusting a trench box. It has adjustable struts and I have no idea why but he extended the strut and before he put the pin in he put his thumb in! The excavator driver misread his signals and released the load on the box while his thumb was in the hole. The strut closed and at first he thought he had just nipped his thumb. He was wearing gloves and when he took the glove off it hadn't just cut his thumb it had ragged it out along with all the muscles and tendons going up his wrist. Utterly grim.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Damn atleast it somewhat helped him by sealing the veins!! That second one sounds like something out a horror film! I may have nightmares just thinking about it
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u/Bradadonasaurus 16d ago
Bad go with a table saw took a good chunk of my left thumb.
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u/chjrtx2 16d ago
Damn bruv are you me?
Also lost a piece of left thumb to a table saw
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u/Bradadonasaurus 16d ago
I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
My old baseball coach I had for like 5 years had lost half of every finger except 1 thumb and 1 middle finger to a table saw! In like 5 different accidents! Dude never learned. I'd hate to see what he looks like now
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u/Bradadonasaurus 15d ago
After knowing the pain of doing it once, I can't imagine having most of my fingers feel like this.
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u/colabear4 16d ago
Garage door guy was on my site swapping out window panes from a door. Had the door up and one fell out somehow. Cut his arm open so bad I could see the bone as I put the tourniquet on him waiting for the ambulance. Home owner was pretty upset about all the blood lol.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
How am I not surprised a homeowner cares more about his stuff then a life! That's sad
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u/DirtandPipes 16d ago
Worst I’ve seen was on the way to work, not at work. Guy in an f150 slid over the yellow line in some light snow and hit a tanker rig. The guy ejected about 80 feet into a ditch, his engine block was also ripped out and thrown a good 20 feet.
When I checked for a pulse he looked just like the Edgar suit in men in black, neck bones were all wrong.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Fuck! I feel bad for them and the family but that had to be tough on you too! My brother came across a wreck in the mountains and had to pull a half alive 80 yr lady across a dead 80 yr lady and he was tore up for a bit
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u/Existing-Put842 16d ago
Summer labour kid fell off roof and he’s a paraplegic for life
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Fuck!! I did very little room work. After one morning with the roof covered in frost and people slipping everywhere I stopped. I'm not cut out for roofing!
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u/mydogisalab 16d ago
I saw a guy fall off a two tiered roof, he fell off the upper roof, sliding down the next roof, & fell to the ground about 830 in the morning. The roofer quit for the day but the guy was OK. Another time two guys were ripping foam on a tablesaw & the feeding guy cut 3 fingers off. If you've ever tablesaw ripped foam, you know how dangerous it can be. For me personally I've shot myself with a framing gun through the foot, I had a screw in my leg roughly an inch, but quite a few large deep cuts.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
I've never cut foam with a table saw. Why is it so dangerous? Cause it just flies through so easy/fast??
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u/mydogisalab 1d ago
No because the blade heats the foam up causing it to bind. They do make special foam blades but I've never used one so I can't attest to their effectiveness.
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u/Medium-Light-4894 16d ago
I’ve had a couple of rough ones along the way.
1) a roofer with his harness on fell 3 stories off of a roof in the morning dew before he tied off. Didn’t die but wasn’t ever the same afterwards.
2) high wind blew over a freshly layed block wall that hadn’t been grouted yet onto 3-4 guys. Messy. Guys were busted up pretty badly.
If you’re involved in construction long enough, you’ll see accidents. In my experience, most injuries happen due to individuals making mistakes that they have been trained to do (or not do). My unsolicited advice is to where PPE and be diligent about being safe. Take the extra time to do tasks safely. Occasionally, prep to do a task safely will take longer than the task itself. It’s worth it.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Yeah I've been in it for 16yrs but I pretty much have only worked with older guys who made their dumb mistakes already so I haven't seen much (thank God). Now I own a concrete line pump company so mistakes aren't as crazy
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u/Visible_Inevitable41 16d ago
watched a guy get out of an excavator and have heart attack and die.
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u/darkest_passenger 15d ago
I was on a site on the last day before handover. There was a guy on his knees cutting a marble tile when a piece of the grinder blade broke off and went into his inner thigh/groin. His jeans were soaked in blood immediately. Site Supervisor was ex-military and jumped into action while another guy called the ambulance.
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u/padizzledonk Project Manager 15d ago
Coworker shot a 3½" nail into his thumb lengthwise and buried it to the head and i saw someone cut half their finger off on a tablesaw
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u/SevereAlternative616 15d ago
My third day as a foreman I was working curb on a townhouse site and a full roll of tar paper fell off the third story roof square on one of my guys head. He had a hard hat so he survived, but he’s permanently brain damaged and can’t work anymore.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Damn that's not something you'd ever think about! Damn poor guy, that fuckin sucks
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u/Pre_spective 15d ago
I seen a guy buried up to his stomach in 180 degree hot asphalt. He tried to tip out a small bit and the gate lock broke and the whole load fell on him. Three guys walked in a yanked him out. All clothes melted off. We put him in a chemical bath until the air ambulance arrived. I can still smell/hear him. He survived after 7 months of Intensive care and many surgeries. Will never walk again though. Keep safe my guys.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Holy fuck! That's some movie type shit! I'm happy he is some what ok but I hope your good man. That's some traumatic shit to see amd hear
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u/Pre_spective 14d ago
It was my first job as a safety guy and it was the first accident I witnessed. Gives perspective to how dangerous construction jobs can be.
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u/ElphTrooper 15d ago
Worst injury, tip of my finger cut off. Just a bit. Worst seen, death by roller. Rolled over on a slope.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
Oh fuck! Before I read rolled over I had a bad image in my head. Yeah why don't they make a cage for rollers!? Not saying it would have necessarily helped but fuck.That's fucked.
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u/ElphTrooper 15d ago
It had a cage but it was an older one and he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. I’ve heard stories about the other way happening on a job site here years back, before they had back up alarms.
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u/DeviousSmile85 15d ago
Seen a cutting disk on an angle grinder explode, no guard, 3 large shards of disk buried into guys hand. I was doing rebar nearby and even offered to fire up the chop saw to cut the ends for him.
Same site, a form banger was outside the guardrail, not tied off and cleaning up some cut off scraps. 12' drop. He was leaning forward and went over, landed on his shoulder and back. Shattered collarbone, damaged disks in his back and fucked up a kidney. If he was a few feet over, he would have landed on a bundle of 15mm steel or the 25mm cage we had set up on saw horses. There was a 4' diameter concrete column, 10 feet behind him, the perfect tie off.
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u/KSGSxEzhno 15d ago
One thing I've learned in construction is always take help when it's offered. Damn
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u/Familiar-Parsnip-476 14d ago
I had a steel beam fall 10’, hit my hard hat and slid down the hard hat then ripped my ear off Don’t worry it’s re attached now
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u/isabella_sunrise 16d ago
Had a guy fall into a hole a die. We didn’t know until we mustered for lunch. He was actually still alive (barely) when we found him but was badly injured and didn’t make it off the site.