EYE IMPALEMENT
This is not an urban legend... it really happened.
A man suffered an industrial accident by working too high and unstabilized on a simple 6' ladder. How many ladders, how many times do your employees climb a ladder each week... think you ever have any close calls?? Yah, I'll betcha do... This one is a graphic example of what could happen to you or one of your valuable employees.
A worker survived an accident that poked an 18-inch-long drill bit through one eye and out the side of his skull. (Imagine a standard ruler; that’s only 12 inches). Although we dread the gory industrial accidents that leave their victims dead or result in the loss of a limb (or more), we can learn from their misfortune. The accident took place in Truckee California when a construction worker, landed face-first on a large drill bit- after falling from an unstable ladder. XXXX was working in Truckee, standing atop a six-foot ladder while drilling over his head, when he gave the drill an extra push to bore a hole. As he felt the ladder begin to wobble out from under him, he tried tossing his power drill aside before falling to the ground. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to throw the drill far enough away, and he landed upon it face-first. The 18-inch-long, 1.5-inch diameter chip auger drill bit pierced XXXX’s right eye and exited through the side of his skull.
Read the description of the accident in his own words:
“By the time I was falling, and I let the drill go down, I was already on top of it. The drill was facing up but it was off. When the drill hit, it skewered me. I ran my hands up the drill bit, up to my eye, and put my other hand in the back of my head and felt it coming through the back of my head, and that's where pretty much the shock set in. The first thing I thought was 'Am I going to die?' I knew it was serious. I was scared. I didn't know if it was in my brain or not.”
Well, XXXX did not die. He recovered, but lost one eye and some neurological function in the accident. Oh, and a fractured skull that took months of recovery. Don’t let the fact that he worked in construction lull you into thinking this couldn’t happen to you or your company. Imagine how often your employees get up on a ladder, reaching to do a job. The worker’s story illustrated XXXX’s mistake: He allowed himself to get into a situation that made the ladder wobbly instead of only working on a stabilized ladder. Because it says he was standing “atop”, we can assume he was on the top rung which is No-Mans-Land. Never stand on the top rung or platform of a ladder. Even if he wasn’t on the top rung, if he had a coworker acting as a spotter or a stabilizer, perhaps the co-worker could have identified the danger he was in, and stopped him.
If, If, If… If only…
I’ll end with saying, “IF ONLY more employees would just do the right thing…” imagine that!
Be watchful of your employees while they work on ladders, elevated platforms and surfaces.
This is not an urban legend... it really happened.
A man suffered an industrial accident by working too high and unstabilized on a simple 6' ladder. How many ladders, how many times do your employees climb a ladder each week... think you ever have any close calls?? Yah, I'll betcha do... This one is a graphic example of what could happen to you or one of your valuable employees.
A worker survived an accident that poked an 18-inch-long drill bit through one eye and out the side of his skull. (Imagine a standard ruler; that’s only 12 inches). Although we dread the gory industrial accidents that leave their victims dead or result in the loss of a limb (or more), we can learn from their misfortune. The accident took place in Truckee California when a construction worker, landed face-first on a large drill bit- after falling from an unstable ladder. XXXX was working in Truckee, standing atop a six-foot ladder while drilling over his head, when he gave the drill an extra push to bore a hole. As he felt the ladder begin to wobble out from under him, he tried tossing his power drill aside before falling to the ground. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to throw the drill far enough away, and he landed upon it face-first. The 18-inch-long, 1.5-inch diameter chip auger drill bit pierced XXXX’s right eye and exited through the side of his skull.
Read the description of the accident in his own words:
“By the time I was falling, and I let the drill go down, I was already on top of it. The drill was facing up but it was off. When the drill hit, it skewered me. I ran my hands up the drill bit, up to my eye, and put my other hand in the back of my head and felt it coming through the back of my head, and that's where pretty much the shock set in. The first thing I thought was 'Am I going to die?' I knew it was serious. I was scared. I didn't know if it was in my brain or not.”
Well, XXXX did not die. He recovered, but lost one eye and some neurological function in the accident. Oh, and a fractured skull that took months of recovery. Don’t let the fact that he worked in construction lull you into thinking this couldn’t happen to you or your company. Imagine how often your employees get up on a ladder, reaching to do a job. The worker’s story illustrated XXXX’s mistake: He allowed himself to get into a situation that made the ladder wobbly instead of only working on a stabilized ladder. Because it says he was standing “atop”, we can assume he was on the top rung which is No-Mans-Land. Never stand on the top rung or platform of a ladder. Even if he wasn’t on the top rung, if he had a coworker acting as a spotter or a stabilizer, perhaps the co-worker could have identified the danger he was in, and stopped him.
If, If, If… If only…
I’ll end with saying, “IF ONLY more employees would just do the right thing…” imagine that!
Be watchful of your employees while they work on ladders, elevated platforms and surfaces.
Labels: eye, impalement, injury, ladder
posted by Chuck | 10:30 PM
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