Hello everyone, this particular story is about an actual happening in a fabrication shop that I worked in during the early 80's. We had a burn table operator that was making some parts from a master sheet of 1 3/4" plate. He had placed the sheet on the burn table and burned a number of parts from it, removed the parts and was getting ready to remove the remnant sheet and place it back into the steel rack. When he initially loaded the sheet onto the table he grabbed it from one side of the sheet, upon completion of the burning he decided to grab it from the opposite side of the sheet. What he didn't pay attention to was the location of the support steel underneath the burning table bed. There was a sub-frame that supported 1/4" x 4"x 10' long slats. The ends of these slats hung over the edge of the underside support by approximately 4", they were fitted into slots so that they could be replaced as they became damaged beyond a servicable condition. The edge of the plate was within 2" or so of the edge of these slats. As he raised the sheet towards the vertical position the weight of the plate finally overcame the length and weight of the slats and the plate slid off the edge of the table. As this happened it picked a number of these slats out of their slots and threw them. Those of you who are familiar with the condition of the slats that I am referring to here understand that they look similar to the blade of a 2-man cross-cut saw. One of these slats ended up striking this individual in the head. It cut straight through his skull from slightly above one eye to a depth of aproximately 3". Initially we feared that he had been killed instantly, fortunately that wasn't the case. He was sent to the hospital and underwent a very long and tedius surgery. It took over a year for him to regain most of his faculties, he still had to undergo numerous other surgeries and various types of rehabilitation. He had to learn to talk, walk, and many other tasks as a result of his injuries.
     I know this sounded gruesome, IT WAS!!! Could it have been prevented? Yes! Once again, surroundings are everything, you have to be aware of them at all times. I could make any amount of arguments saying if the table had been built properly this couldn't have happened, that's true. But the table set-up wasn't and due to the operators lack of knowledge or realization, it almost cost him his life.
     Many shops make a lot of their own workhorses and other load carrying type devices. You need to pay close attention to these things as you use them or watch others use them. Many of these devices will serve their "intended" purposes without incident, just know that your intention for this item and that of others might not be the same. Side loading of workhorses can be their demise, they may do fine with a straight-up-and-down load, but the moment that you apply any force from the side they may buckle and crush you or someone else. If you build structural steel products just take a look at how they brace and stiffen beams, channels, tees, angles and other shapes. There are reasons for all of these types of things. Don't take chances with shoddily built workhorses or other load carrying types of devices. Better yet, as silly as it may sound to some of you, have your onsite engineer or someone from the outside verify the purpose and capabilities of your horses and such. You can't replace a life or give back a lost physical capability. Just a bit of food for thought. Best regards, Allan