Beware the Bands
On Fridays, we always make it a point to leave the site as clean as possible for the homeowners over the weekend. We usually manage to scatter a lot of debris throughout the week, so I’m sure the gesture is much appreciated.
During the weekly cleanup, I grabbed three of the metal bands that are used to bundle lumber. I walked over to the trashcan and folded them to place inside.
As I was shoving them into the can, the end of one popped out and slashed me in the chest. The end of the metal is as sharp as a razor, so I ended up with a nice two inch gash, although it wasn’t too deep, so no big deal.
Many years ago, I was doing construction in Decatur, Illinois. Incidental side note, don’t ever go to Decatur, there’s really nothing there but crime and smelly factories.
Anyway, one of the greenest kids on the site was standing in front of a stack of 2x4s and decided to use the claw of his hammer to pop the metal bands holding the stack together. If you put your claw around the band and twist, you can get them to break, making a cool popping sound in the process.
Well, our protagonist happened to be standing right in front of the band when he decided to pop it, and he happened to be working without a shirt. The energy of the metal band popping launched the end of it straight at him, violently slashing him across the chest.
The end of the metal band sliced him open, basically from his shoulder to his waist, diagonally across his chest and stomach. The wound was not just a minor scratch, so he was carted off to the hospital for stitches. He was given some ridiculous number like 75 or 90 or something stitches to close the laceration.
After seeing that, I always grab a pair of tin snips and stand very clear of the area that the metal bands might spring toward. No part of what that kid went through looked enjoyable, and it happened so instantaneous that there wasn’t possibly anything he could have done to get out of the way; safety first people.
I finished the week out at 172 pounds. Like last night, it is a new low on the scale, and a great way to start a fantastic Friday evening.
During the weekly cleanup, I grabbed three of the metal bands that are used to bundle lumber. I walked over to the trashcan and folded them to place inside.
As I was shoving them into the can, the end of one popped out and slashed me in the chest. The end of the metal is as sharp as a razor, so I ended up with a nice two inch gash, although it wasn’t too deep, so no big deal.
Many years ago, I was doing construction in Decatur, Illinois. Incidental side note, don’t ever go to Decatur, there’s really nothing there but crime and smelly factories.
Anyway, one of the greenest kids on the site was standing in front of a stack of 2x4s and decided to use the claw of his hammer to pop the metal bands holding the stack together. If you put your claw around the band and twist, you can get them to break, making a cool popping sound in the process.
Well, our protagonist happened to be standing right in front of the band when he decided to pop it, and he happened to be working without a shirt. The energy of the metal band popping launched the end of it straight at him, violently slashing him across the chest.
The end of the metal band sliced him open, basically from his shoulder to his waist, diagonally across his chest and stomach. The wound was not just a minor scratch, so he was carted off to the hospital for stitches. He was given some ridiculous number like 75 or 90 or something stitches to close the laceration.
After seeing that, I always grab a pair of tin snips and stand very clear of the area that the metal bands might spring toward. No part of what that kid went through looked enjoyable, and it happened so instantaneous that there wasn’t possibly anything he could have done to get out of the way; safety first people.
I finished the week out at 172 pounds. Like last night, it is a new low on the scale, and a great way to start a fantastic Friday evening.
posted by fuqstik @ 7:53 PM
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