Safety Stories: This Hard Hat Saved My Life

Safety Stories

This Hard Hat Saved My Life

Dave Fenton says he just loves the work. 

“Cranes are kinda like my passion. I love the idea of being in a crane.”

That passion was sparked one day when walking past a construction site in western Canada and found himself looking up enviously at the crane operator. He thought to himself, “The guy must have a great view of the mountains.”

Fenton soon made the career switch to construction, but a workplace accident nearly turned his dream into a nightmare. On January 6, 2011, he was struck by a falling joist while working high rise construction. 

“I worked as a swamper which is basically a rigger for the crane.” 

He was working with the crane that day pouring concrete, when he was directed to stop pouring concrete and do a fly form which consists of a pair of aluminum trusses topped with closely spaced joists that support a plywood deck. 

As Dave recalls in this video, “I put the chains back on the crane, sent the chains up and the crane went up and swung to the left. I walked to the right, I grabbed my lunch box and grabbed a bit of my sandwich. After a couple bites of my sandwich, I turned back to my left to go back and talk to the concrete driver. After about three steps that’s when I was impacted by the joist.” 

The aluminum joist, weighed about 80 pounds, dropped nine floors or a hundred feet, and hit him in the head.

“It broke my neck, broke my shoulder, broke my rib, lacerated my spleen, punctured my lung.” 

Just three months later, with strong medical support, and the love of his family and friends, Dave returned to work in April 2011.

“I definitely owe a lot of thanks to (my) hard hat. (It) saved my life, there’s no question in my mind.”

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), Dave’s injury was not among the most common. Here are the top construction safety risks for workers:

 

  1. Falls – More than 40,000 Workers are hurt each year in Canada as a result of falls. OHS attributes these to slippery surfaces, working with broken or ill-working scaffolding or ladders, messy worksites, and a lack of adequate fall-protection equipment.
  2. Struck by Moving Vehicles – Any vehicle or moving construction equipment can be a hazard to workers on a job site. Moving vehicle accidents are the cause in about 13% of workplace fatalities over the last ten years. Dangers come from being run over, crushed between two objects, or hit by material moved by construction equipment.
  3. Heavy Equipment Operation – This can also pose hazards for those operating it. Even from within vehicles, operators are at risk of being crushed, being struck, or hit by unsecured loads. Protections are also required to avoid electrical contacts.
  4. Ergonomics – Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can result from many common movements like bending and straightening, gripping, twisting, or reaching. When workers do these things in everyday life, they’re not harmful, but conditions in a workplace can cause problems over time.

Doug Downs – USP Contractor