What Is Health and Safety?

Accidents will happen, there’s no getting away from it. But while you’re busy protecting your home or office with safety and emergency signs, spare a thought for those unfortunate souls who fell afoul of some of the most bizarre accidents while trying only to go about their daily routines.

Always ask for an extra hand

There comes a time when all of us will have to stay a little late at work to catch up on something, but if there was ever proof needed you should let people know what you’re up to, it comes thanks to Ben Montgomery of Dubbo, Australia. On the site of his company’s latest housing project, old Ben decided to stick around and earn some brownie points with his bosses. Unfortunately, after nail-gunning his hand to a post, Len was stuck with no-one to help him till the foreman turned up the next day and called an ambulance. Nice one Ben!

It’s for you!

Sure, it’s hilarious when we play pranks on our co-workers, but maybe Noel Martin of Anglesey will think twice next time he wants to wind up his friend Rick Barr. Troy thought it would be a big laugh to put superglue around the earpiece of Rick’s phone after hearing him complain all week about the number of calls he was getting. It wasn’t quite so funny when the pranker had to use his own phone to call paramedics to help out his grumpy victim. Shame on you Noel!

Going downhill fast

An exhausted Alex Mellor thought he was being pretty smart when he volunteered to shift a pile of earth from one side of a golf course to the other as part of a landscape gardening project in Hastings. But as he foolishly climbed in to the wheelbarrow he had perched so carefully on the side of one of the course’s steepest hills to get a bit of rest, he lost his footing. Alex landed in the barrow head first and careered for 100 yards before hitting a sandpit. He broke his collar bone and fractured his nose, but was able to catch up some bed rest in his local hospital for a few days at least.

With proper information signs and a bit of common sense of course, you can avoid many types of accidents. Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it – there will always be some idiots around to prove mankind isn’t always the smartest of species!