i was 30 feet up drilling holes into concrete for truck bay signs on one of those jaws ladders and the metal peeled back and it started to fold in half so i threw the drill and jumped...Landed on my side and hit my head off the concrete woke up in ER couldn't remember anything from a few weeks before lol
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best sign related injury :)
- Thread starter flyplainsdrifta
- Start date
GAC05
Quit buggin' me
Stupidity of youth
Bench grinding a metal bracket without googles.
Small spec of metal got stuck in the center of my left eye, just a little below the iris.
Left it in for a few days - just long enough for it to start rusting & my eye attempting a repair by skinning over it
Flashlight, Bathroom mirror - fresh Xacto #11 blade.
Got it & can still see out of both eyes (mostly).
Stupidest thing I have ever done since the time I used my chest as a jack wedged between the transmission and the floor while removing it from a Dodge station wagon (after hours alone). Didn't know how much a TorqueFlite 727 full of oil weighed & the fact that the engine will tilt back quite a ways when you remove the transmission mount....
wayne k
guam usa
Bench grinding a metal bracket without googles.
Small spec of metal got stuck in the center of my left eye, just a little below the iris.
Left it in for a few days - just long enough for it to start rusting & my eye attempting a repair by skinning over it
Flashlight, Bathroom mirror - fresh Xacto #11 blade.
Got it & can still see out of both eyes (mostly).
Stupidest thing I have ever done since the time I used my chest as a jack wedged between the transmission and the floor while removing it from a Dodge station wagon (after hours alone). Didn't know how much a TorqueFlite 727 full of oil weighed & the fact that the engine will tilt back quite a ways when you remove the transmission mount....
wayne k
guam usa
DerbyCitySignGuy
New Member
Man, y'all are dangerous.
The worst I've ever done is the tip of my thumb lost to a utility knife when it jumped over the face of a straight edge. Only use straight edges with finger guards now. Funny part is that I went to the doctor, thinking they'd stitch the tip of my thumb back on. Sat for an hour with my thumb is some iodine, the doctor walks in, uses some forceps to peel the tip of my thumb back (which hurt worse than cutting it), looks at it and says, "It'll grow back." Grabbed a pair of scissors and cut it off before I could even process what he was doing.
The worst I've ever done is the tip of my thumb lost to a utility knife when it jumped over the face of a straight edge. Only use straight edges with finger guards now. Funny part is that I went to the doctor, thinking they'd stitch the tip of my thumb back on. Sat for an hour with my thumb is some iodine, the doctor walks in, uses some forceps to peel the tip of my thumb back (which hurt worse than cutting it), looks at it and says, "It'll grow back." Grabbed a pair of scissors and cut it off before I could even process what he was doing.
Cross Signs
We Make Them Hot and Fresh Everyday
I turned and stepped off of a ladder while still on the second step. (It sure seemed like a long way down)
Numerous cuts and lacerations from blades.
Was using the Electro Pounce, and forgot to take off my watch (with elastic metal band)
Numerous cuts and lacerations from blades.
Was using the Electro Pounce, and forgot to take off my watch (with elastic metal band)
flyplainsdrifta
New Member
forgot one. was on 99% of a 8'x30' banner on my flatbed before we had a r2r. heads ended up clipping in the print. out of anger and sheer stupidity, i ended up punching a 4x4 post and breaking my knuckles so bad i can no longer grip things well on that hand. absolutely the dumbest thing I've ever done. second dumbest was being a cool guy and refusing to go to the doctor for it and then it healing so improperly that there was really nothing the doctor could do save for rebuild my hand. sucks
eahicks
Magna Cum Laude - School of Hard Knocks
I was decapitated once when a sheet of aluminum fell down. Straight through my neck.
Not really, but that would suck.
I did have an 8' ladder topple over while I was on the top step. Stupid me....I landed on my feet, in between the ladder legs. I required chiropractic care for several months.
Not really, but that would suck.
I did have an 8' ladder topple over while I was on the top step. Stupid me....I landed on my feet, in between the ladder legs. I required chiropractic care for several months.
DerbyCitySignGuy
New Member
We just had another printer installed a few weeks ago and the guy setting it up was telling us about how a laminator fell on him when it was being unloaded from the truck. Landed on the back of his neck and shoulders and almost killed him. Whew.
MikePro
Active Member
worst I've heard, recently in the Wisconsin area, was a scissor lift operator that while servicing a sign was leaning over the rails to reach wiring, and must have made contact with his controls. ....lift crushed his chest between sign & the lift, death by asphyxiation.
before that, was a Wisconsin service truck operator, working on one of the old Sponco setups with the cable-controlled extendable ladder/operator basket. ....cable snapped at full extension, retracting him in the basket downward at a high speed until the basket hit its parked-position, ejecting him 50yards away (no fall protection harness to attach him to truck) and killed him upon impact.
and then around that time, was the news article about the sign cabinet at the airport that fell-over and killed a 10yr old boy in Alabama. awful stuff. Sign guys weren't to blame, for making the cabinet, it was the construction company/airport that installed it improperly (freestanding w/drywall anchors)
before that, was a Wisconsin service truck operator, working on one of the old Sponco setups with the cable-controlled extendable ladder/operator basket. ....cable snapped at full extension, retracting him in the basket downward at a high speed until the basket hit its parked-position, ejecting him 50yards away (no fall protection harness to attach him to truck) and killed him upon impact.
and then around that time, was the news article about the sign cabinet at the airport that fell-over and killed a 10yr old boy in Alabama. awful stuff. Sign guys weren't to blame, for making the cabinet, it was the construction company/airport that installed it improperly (freestanding w/drywall anchors)
Not exactly sign related, but I was hanging a basketball goal, using a scissor lift, in a new gym my church was building. A fabricator had hung the entire ceiling crank-up mounting bracket. I painted it and then had to hang the glass backboard on the already-installed height adjusting mechanism. I don't remember how much, but it weighed a couple hundred pounds. I had the backboard sitting on the floor of the scissor lift and lifted it up into place. All I had to do was lean it slightly and lower the lift to set it on the hanging bracket. It went great except that I forgot to pull my index finger out from between the backboard and the bracket.
It squeezed my finger like a tube of toothpaste. My fingertip popped open and the skin from the inside burst out the split. Didn't break the bone, though. I drove myself to the ER and ended up sitting with the teller from my bank. She had shut her finger in the vault door. There we both sat with our fingers in ice... The doc was good, though. She stuffed everything back in and sewed it up. Today I can hardly feel the scar.
In the same gym we hired an artist who painted the center-court logo with a pounce pattern, striped the floor with a set of really innovative taping tools, and talked about pinstriping, gold leaf, and lettering hot rods. That was a big part of what started my interest in signs and printing.
It squeezed my finger like a tube of toothpaste. My fingertip popped open and the skin from the inside burst out the split. Didn't break the bone, though. I drove myself to the ER and ended up sitting with the teller from my bank. She had shut her finger in the vault door. There we both sat with our fingers in ice... The doc was good, though. She stuffed everything back in and sewed it up. Today I can hardly feel the scar.
In the same gym we hired an artist who painted the center-court logo with a pounce pattern, striped the floor with a set of really innovative taping tools, and talked about pinstriping, gold leaf, and lettering hot rods. That was a big part of what started my interest in signs and printing.
i've seen a guy lose the tip of his finger to one of those. They bite hard.
MikePatterson
Head bathroom cleaner.
Got a new laminator and loaded it up with laminate that has the plastic liner. We ran almost the whole roll and I leaned over to look and see how much was left. It felt like I was hit in the forehead with a baseball bat. Everything went black and I dropped to my knees. The static buildup in the take-up reel full of plastic liner was enormous and acted like a capacitor. My wife said it looked like a 8 inch bolt of lightning hit me between the eyes. Needless to say that is the funniest, I have way worse I could tell about but I don't want to write a novel.
Be Safe Out There!
Be Safe Out There!
sign_chick
New Member
UGHHH I'd hate to watch videos of all these.
Non-job related but was at the job site. We unloaded and were waiting for someone on our team to speak to the client, had our transit back doors open and I sat down, bringing my leg back.. I thought something bit me! No.. turns out the exhaust was hidden where my leg went and now I have a circle burnt scar on my calf...... looks like a dog bite! LOL. It was a hot day too that I was wearing shorts.
This next one was at a job site. I had never undone our AFrame extendable ladders before and this was one of the big ones. I didn't know what to expect that when I undid one side, the whole thing went down really fast. I pulled back my hand holding the ladder up really fast cuz if I left my hand in the gap, I would've lost my wrist. Instead, the ladder kind of fell on my face, knocking off my glasses and giving me a bloody nose. Fortunately, nothing was broken.
Non-job related but was at the job site. We unloaded and were waiting for someone on our team to speak to the client, had our transit back doors open and I sat down, bringing my leg back.. I thought something bit me! No.. turns out the exhaust was hidden where my leg went and now I have a circle burnt scar on my calf...... looks like a dog bite! LOL. It was a hot day too that I was wearing shorts.
This next one was at a job site. I had never undone our AFrame extendable ladders before and this was one of the big ones. I didn't know what to expect that when I undid one side, the whole thing went down really fast. I pulled back my hand holding the ladder up really fast cuz if I left my hand in the gap, I would've lost my wrist. Instead, the ladder kind of fell on my face, knocking off my glasses and giving me a bloody nose. Fortunately, nothing was broken.
Richard2717
New Member
Have two that stick out like they happened yesterday (was actually late 80's right out of high school)
I had just started working for this sign company and it was not the most safety oriented place. I was tasked with using the cutting torch to cut out a cap and flange for a sign pole. There were no gloves to be had so I went about it bare handed. Got a bit to close and the torch popped a load of slag back that included a big ball that went under my girlfriends class ring that I was wearing on my pinky. By the time I got it off it was to the bone but other than scar tissue no lasting damage. Still do not wear any jewelry to this day.
Same boss had an old Garland crane. sent out with another worker to install some gas canopy letters. Batteries went dead on boom so i broke out the hand crank. I noticed the extension cable was a little slack so I climbed up to make sure it had not gotten into the gears and accidentally bumped the extension switch with my knee. Felt like Mike Tyson sucker punched me in the gut and felt like an hour before I took my next gulp of air. Lucky it got be below the ribs and nothing was broke.
I had just started working for this sign company and it was not the most safety oriented place. I was tasked with using the cutting torch to cut out a cap and flange for a sign pole. There were no gloves to be had so I went about it bare handed. Got a bit to close and the torch popped a load of slag back that included a big ball that went under my girlfriends class ring that I was wearing on my pinky. By the time I got it off it was to the bone but other than scar tissue no lasting damage. Still do not wear any jewelry to this day.
Same boss had an old Garland crane. sent out with another worker to install some gas canopy letters. Batteries went dead on boom so i broke out the hand crank. I noticed the extension cable was a little slack so I climbed up to make sure it had not gotten into the gears and accidentally bumped the extension switch with my knee. Felt like Mike Tyson sucker punched me in the gut and felt like an hour before I took my next gulp of air. Lucky it got be below the ribs and nothing was broke.
Kottwitz-Graphics
New Member
I've had some close calls. I almost got decapitated by a 1/4" sheet of aluminum. I was running a 100' skyhook, and had a guy about 70' up working on a sign, he took the bottom plate off to access the lamps, and placed it into the ladder rungs and it started sliding down the boom. I was walking around the truck to find out what the weird sound was, and was standing at the back of the boom and something told me to duck, and just as I did, the aluminum took off my hard hat, and cut the top of it off. Had I not, it would have hit me in the neck.
I was working on installing some neon letters for a new store, and since the electricians were not there, and no electrical had been run, we placed the 15,000 v transformers in the boxes, and ran the home runs. I was outside connecting the electrodes. The last thing I remember was seeing a flash of red, and then waking up in the bottom of the bucket. My helper was on the ground freaking out. He said that I didn't respond for about 15 seconds. When I realized that the electricians came in after us and hooked it up, then threw the switch...
I was working on installing some neon letters for a new store, and since the electricians were not there, and no electrical had been run, we placed the 15,000 v transformers in the boxes, and ran the home runs. I was outside connecting the electrodes. The last thing I remember was seeing a flash of red, and then waking up in the bottom of the bucket. My helper was on the ground freaking out. He said that I didn't respond for about 15 seconds. When I realized that the electricians came in after us and hooked it up, then threw the switch...
Jeff grossman
Living the dream
1976 summer job installing signs - 3 sections of scaffolding on a rented u haul flat bed truck - didn’t see the trolley wires while lifting banners with a 2x4 over the scaffolding - lived to tell about it with only a burn on my leg. , 1 melted through section of scaffolding and two high school kids having no business doing what we were doing - Philadelphia - 2 street - mummers row ..... memories
Young and stupid we were .
Young and stupid we were .