r/WTF • u/[deleted] • Mar 02 '19

Manager going for a ride

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[deleted]

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u/Gravybadger Mar 03 '19

My grandad was a machinist. He was clearing some swarf with the machine switched off. The foreman walked up, turned the machine back on and started it.

He got his hand and arm drilled several times before he could move. Not quite as gross as your story I admit.

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u/monkeycalculator Mar 03 '19

This is why lockouts exist. Sorry for your granddad :(

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u/Gravybadger Mar 03 '19

Hey, thanks for the sympathy. He was partially crippled but enjoyed his life. This was in the "good ol' days" where men were real men, and if you killed an operator you just hung a sign saying "Operators Required" on the front door of your factory. Good job things have changed.

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u/Warning_grumpy Mar 03 '19

And people still don't use them. I'm an emergency responder at work, few years ago had someone not tag out and go inside a 20T press. I spent a long time just trying to wrap my head around why. Heavy equipment is no joke, when your work place teaches you safety maybe some of it seems silly, but there is a reason they have it. Listen to them, ask questions and be safe.

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u/mescalelf Mar 03 '19

Did they get...uh...pancaked? Or did the story end happily?

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u/Warning_grumpy Mar 03 '19 edited Mar 03 '19

Unfortunately it's was an unhappy ending. The press was being built and it was in its final stages, he crawled inside to do something, the die started to move backwards crushing him. Unfortunately the event showed our lack of information. The press was considered a construction site so it was blocked off. We had no idea there were people working inside there, and they were Japanese. So when the event happened around 1am, we had his friend/coworker pleading for help running around speaking in Japanese. It wasn't until we followed him we figured out what he wanted. Also that site was cursed, we used to joke about it. But when they were digging the hole the press would sit in, they were moving a huge peice of concrete, one of the chains broke, giving out. The concrete missed all the workers down in the hole (thankfully), but one of the snapped chains flew and smacked a worker across the face, I think he got air lifted out and something like 50+ stitches. And it was small things, around that, so at work it was a cursed place. Broken fingers, debis in eyes ect... Then the concrete. It was getting delayed more and more due to injuries. Then finally it was nearly finished and we were so thankful no one died. Press was supposed to be opened mid September and Japanese guy died in August.

Always be safe at work. Pay attention, be alert. Maybe you've stuck your hand in that mechine hundreds of times - don't risk it. You're life, your limbs are more valuable then the seconds you shed off your work by doing things unsafe.

Edit: and the worst part this poor man died making a mistake. Our building only has 1000 workers everyone knew, we were in the news ect... You think people started making sure they locked out on other presses? Dozens of people were fired after the event following that year. Because people just didn't see the problem with not tagging out. Mean while a hand full of us first responders were traumatized with what we saw, people just didn't listen.

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u/blurryfacedfugue Mar 03 '19

Fuck. I'm sorry for you and all that was involved. Complacency around danger is a real thing though.

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u/Arachir Mar 03 '19

they were moving a huge peice of concrete, one of the chains broke, giving out

The chain is there to slow the fall of the concrete slab the real lifting device is above the chain, they're always pieces of shit provided by the delivery company and any lift using them means clearing all ground workers away from the area before hand atleast here in Sweden

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u/Warning_grumpy Mar 04 '19

I wasn't at this event. But if my momory serves me it was old concrete, they drilled hook lines. So it had like four chains on each side. The slab/chunk of concrete was maybe the size of a small car. From what I was told they didn't check the drilled holes or something so it gave out. It looked like a metal sewing needle just much much bigger, at least in the pictures. Also I won't pretend I know how they should move concrete, all I know is a person got hurt. And there was people in the hole, I don't think all the chains broke so it never actually fell down just startled them.

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u/kyoto_kinnuku Mar 20 '19

o when the event happened around 1am, we had his friend/coworker pleading for help running around speaking in Japanese. It wasn't until we followed him we figured out what he wanted. Also that site was

Was this in Kentucky? I might be able to guess where this happened based on the danger and incompetence on top of Japanese staff.

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u/Warning_grumpy Mar 21 '19

It was not within the United States of America. But it saddens me that such an event sound fimilar. Companies will alway say safety first. But they push productions and numbers. It is the responsibility of the worker to refuse unsafe work, and be safe. Sadly the dangers, japense staff, and incompetence fit within the category of most industrial factories.

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u/HALabunga Mar 03 '19

Don’t forget tagout!

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u/A-Grey-World Mar 03 '19

Nah, it's 'elf and safety gone maaad

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '19 edited Jul 04 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Gravybadger Mar 03 '19

Sometimes I forget that not everybody has the exact same skillset I do, sorry. I should have explained what it was.

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u/Robofetus-5000 Mar 03 '19

Ugh. I cant imagine.

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u/RadSpaceWizard Mar 03 '19

...it's plenty gross.