Injuries on the Job

Sometimes when I'm scrapping I'll get a minor cut and bruises (sometimes really bad bruises). I always make sure I'm careful and aware of my surroundings when loading and especially unloading the truck, as I can not afford a serious injury. The last time I was at the scrap yard, it started dumping rain and as I was finishing up an ambulance and firetruck were pulling in. There were two guys unloading in the truck next to me and one of them was unloading some huge pieces of sheet metal, he slipped and the sheet metal sliced both of his legs open. Not a very good day for those guys. The employees were all really great about making sure he was taken care of though. Anyone else have an incident happen to you or someone else? Please share and maybe we can all learn a thing or two about what not to do. Thanks!

Been very lucky. From experience, the unsafe ones generally do not hurt themselves they usually hurt an innocent by stander.

Time for two duct tape band aids...

People who are sick, very tired, distracted, on medication or recreational drugs tend to cause injuries to themselves and others. Human error is more deadly then a cable snapping under normal load and dropping something on your head.

How many of you haven't almost dozed off at the wheel while coming home from a long tiring job? They put those rough patches on the side of highways for a reason.

A few years ago, I was cutting rebar from huge concrete chunks. I had taken down a building and loaded them with an excavator and they had long pieces of 5/8 rebar doubled over and under tension. When I cut one with the torch, it sprang away, then struck me on the arm like a snake. A big metal fire breathing snake. That hurt a lot, but wasn't a serious injury thankfully. It did give me a burn on the arm because it didn't cool down much swinging out then back in. That's when I started thinking about cutting metal in ways to relieve stresses instead of just wading in. I know Patriot76 knows a lot about that.


I don't remember ever going to sleep driving.......woke up driving a few times though.

I once saw a guy take a hatchet to a window unit air conditioner that was laying in the shred pile . When he hit it , it spewed freon into his mouth and all over his beard . Still remember the look on his face , don't imagine that stuff tastes very good.

Pics? J/K sucks for that fellow. I usually get injured from stupidity. I know it's going to slip and I chose not to wear my gloves. I have a bucket for band-aids too.

I never scrap when I'm tired! Also I don't use big hammers to smash things. Flying pieces of plastic and metal are dangerous and you always have a bigger mess to clean up. The screws are there for a reason all you have to do is figure out which one was screwed in last and go from there.

Lots of sheet metal slices and one SOB front load washer drum tipped over and the concrete block raked my shin. Holy hell that hurt.

Originally Posted by manchvegassalvage

I cracked my Bum.....lol

now you have 2......winning !