This
is a bricklayers accident report that was printed in the new letter of the
Workers Compensation Board.
Dear
Sir,
I
am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block #3 of
the accident reporting form. I put "Poor Planning" as the cause of my
accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details
will be sufficient.
I
am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on a
roof of a new six story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some
bricks left over which when weighed found to be 240 lbs. Rather than carry the
bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which
was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor. Securing the rope
at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the
bricks on to it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to
ensure a slow descent of the 240 lbs of bricks.
You
will note on the accident reporting form that my weight is 185 lbs. Due to my
surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind
and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate
up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the
barrel which was now proceeding downwards at an equally impressive speed. This
explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as
listed in Section 3 of the accident reporting form.
Slowed
only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my
right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley which I mentioned in paragraph
2 of this correspondence. Fortunately by this time, I had regained my presence
of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the pain I was
beginning to experience. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of
bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the
weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you to my
weight.
As
you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the
vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the
two fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacerations of my legs and lower
body. Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel
seemed to have slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile
of bricks and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to
report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks. in pain, unable to move
and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my composure
and presence of mind and let go of the rope.
End.