Out doing a removal of a 30" dbh maple. Dropped the spar, bucked it up and went to roll the pieces out of the way for the stump cut. Buddy was helping me roll the first piece, I was on the end and he had the side with the next piece. As we started rolling it the piece beside ours shifted and, out of reaction I guess, he moved his hand to stop it (can't remember doing it). Next thing we know his hand is between the two pieces so I push with all I have on the one I am on and our other worker gets on the other piece pushing. We get him out and the words "holy S@#T" come out of his mouth. It ends up he had a wedding ring on and it crushed into his finger, through skin. With pliers he got it off and took him to the ER. End result he kept his finger but can't feel all too much in it, it hurts randomly, and is about 10 deg colder then the rest of his hand. Had he not had the ring on it would have broken but had less nerve and circulation damage.
Log roller
- Thread starter VTMechEng
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
I hope he learned why you shouldn't wear a ring on the job. Back when I worked construction, wearing a ring on the job could get you busted off the job for a day. If you were doing electrical work, wearing a chain around your neck would get you fired off the job. Edge of square file to file it thin, then break it in half to get it off? If you make it to the hospital with the ring on they cut the ring off. You only need to smash it once to learn not to wear the ring to work. It doesn't seem like an accident waiting to happen till it happens, then it's a painful lesson from the school of hard knocks. Where was your wedge or pry bar? Back in the truck?
Last edited:
geofore said:
I was wondering about that with tree workers. It seemd like a bad idea to me with the rope work, hanging onto limbs and all. I learned this lesson from a friend in the Navy. He had a large class ring on and was swinging down a ladder. His ring got caught, and it got shoved under tha skin. It was nasty watching him pull it back out from under the skin. The blood helped him to get it off his finger though.
Ouch.. I used to work with a yarder engineer who is missing his ring finger. He went to jump thw last couple of feet down from his machines ladder and pop, goes the finger.
John
John
I've never worn jewelry to work, but then I'm just not a jewelry kinda gal, either ? My boyfriend gave me a beautiful ring last year, and I've always felt 'iffy' about wearing it on site because of potential injury. I'm pretty sure that I've already fractured the gem stone in it on a job... guess it's time to start leaving it home. Thanx for the "heads-up" !
P.S. A lot of the GUYS wear more jewelry than ever before. Most are wise enough to leave out the more dangly sh*t when they come to work. But it is a little comical to see a bunch of holes in their face (& ears, tits, you name it) !!!
P.S. A lot of the GUYS wear more jewelry than ever before. Most are wise enough to leave out the more dangly sh*t when they come to work. But it is a little comical to see a bunch of holes in their face (& ears, tits, you name it) !!!
working in a packing plant, the strictly enforce teh NO WATCH rule (CTD's, carpul tunnel), due to the heavy knife use. As an electrician I wear no jewelry, including my wedding band, to reduce the chances of an inadvertent shock, just in case I am not wearing my electrical safety gloves. Also working with voltages above 600V, I remove all metal objects off my person. All of my safety equipment have plastic zippers and not metal. All it take anywere is a small slip up and it's over. Be CAREFUL OUT THERE! 
John Ellison said:
Bingo...I had a coworker that lost his finger in a similar fashion, he swung down off a beam when he was working a framing job, his wedding band caught a nailhead, and that was all she wrote.
Crofter
Addicted to ArboristSite
Similar, my uncle jumping down from side of a truck, hooked his wedding band on one of the rack bolts. Peeled the skin down to near the nail like an inside out glove. Plastic surgery and a number of operations. Little feeling or circulation; would have been better gone!
Well...now I feel guilty.
My husband bent his up at work about two years ago....I purposely took my sweet time getting it fixed for him, but he said he wanted to wear it again....so I got it straightened out.
Gotta admit I like seeing it on his finger, but I guess if I have to choose....I'd rather him keep his finger than the gold.
"Honey....can we talk?" (guys love that lead in.....>lol<)
My husband bent his up at work about two years ago....I purposely took my sweet time getting it fixed for him, but he said he wanted to wear it again....so I got it straightened out.
Gotta admit I like seeing it on his finger, but I guess if I have to choose....I'd rather him keep his finger than the gold.
"Honey....can we talk?" (guys love that lead in.....>lol<)
THAT went well!
I got the proper 'reaction' (squirm) to the "Honey can we talk?" question.
Mentioned that an initial post was made about rings/injuries/work, which prompted many tales of similar incidents. Before I could say another word, he handed me his ring! Said he'd taken it off today to read the inscription I'd put in when I got it fixed (what a mush) and then had the same thought...."maybe this isn't a good thing to be doing"....but put it back on and went back to work.
Good that this was posted....thank-you!
I got the proper 'reaction' (squirm) to the "Honey can we talk?" question.
Mentioned that an initial post was made about rings/injuries/work, which prompted many tales of similar incidents. Before I could say another word, he handed me his ring! Said he'd taken it off today to read the inscription I'd put in when I got it fixed (what a mush) and then had the same thought...."maybe this isn't a good thing to be doing"....but put it back on and went back to work.
Good that this was posted....thank-you!
clearance
Addicted to ArboristSite
Why wear jewellry to work ever? Well not on this kind of work anyways. I did something pretty similar I was bucking the swell butt (cull) of a big old elm tree with a 2101, as I finished I pushed a chunk away that must have wieghed 300lbs. with my right hand. It tilited into the log and squished the end of my ring finger (wasnt wearing a ring duh). Finger was cut and the bone at the end was broken. Should have used a peavey or kept my hand out of the way. Thats kind of like chinstraps on hardhats, same as a choker necklace. Gettit?? choker.
sedanman
Just cut the piano!!
I had a nine fingered co-worker. Missing the ring finger from jumping off a rack truck. He had a fully de-gloved finger when he went to the hospital, skeleton and tendons, no flesh, ugly!
dayman
ArboristSite Operative
I suggested a no jewelry policy but it got pushed aside. Too bad.
A number of years ago I was sitting in an First Responer class. The talk that night was about wounds. I was flipping through the pages of the book and saw an avulsed finger. Blech...the ring was pulled inside the skin. It looked like a raw chicken neck. I closed the book and slipped my wedding ring off my finger. When I got home I told my [ex-] wife that I wasn't going to be wearing the ring at work. I got The Look from her...but she was relatively OK with the deal. I tried to wear it on Date Nights or when I wasn't working.
A number of years ago I was sitting in an First Responer class. The talk that night was about wounds. I was flipping through the pages of the book and saw an avulsed finger. Blech...the ring was pulled inside the skin. It looked like a raw chicken neck. I closed the book and slipped my wedding ring off my finger. When I got home I told my [ex-] wife that I wasn't going to be wearing the ring at work. I got The Look from her...but she was relatively OK with the deal. I tried to wear it on Date Nights or when I wasn't working.
Newfie
Addicted to ArboristSite
You are so much her B!tch!
Been married almost 12 years, have not worn ring in 11 years 10 months. She's got it somewhere but I don't know. More to marriage than a piece of gold anyhow.
Where were the wedges and the peavy/cant hook? A couple of simple tools to make life a lot less strenuous(sp.? boy that doesn't look right).
Been married almost 12 years, have not worn ring in 11 years 10 months. She's got it somewhere but I don't know. More to marriage than a piece of gold anyhow.
Where were the wedges and the peavy/cant hook? A couple of simple tools to make life a lot less strenuous(sp.? boy that doesn't look right).
NeTree
Addicted to ArboristSite
(Mike... after all the crap I have to handle OUTSIDE the house... I'm more than glad to leave the inside to HER. =) )
I've never been one for any kind of jewelry anyways. Always seemed like a bad idea to wear it while working.
I've never been one for any kind of jewelry anyways. Always seemed like a bad idea to wear it while working.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
I'd heard of the ring amputation a long time ago, then when I was in The Gulf, one of our mechanic Sgt's was moving around the vehicals on the well-deck of our ship in heavy weather.
His ring got hooked on the thailgait of a 5-ton and he was stuck there till he could be picked up by some troopers, only a few min, but it was messy. Took more then a few stitches, and he sent the mangled ring home.
I've tried wearing rings a few times, my bootcamp ring is still as shiny as the day I bought it. Though it looks like I may be wearing one sometime in the near future...
His ring got hooked on the thailgait of a 5-ton and he was stuck there till he could be picked up by some troopers, only a few min, but it was messy. Took more then a few stitches, and he sent the mangled ring home.
I've tried wearing rings a few times, my bootcamp ring is still as shiny as the day I bought it. Though it looks like I may be wearing one sometime in the near future...
lync
ArboristSite Operative
Hot piece of Jewelry
True story. Mechanic working on a car up on a lift. Standing under car checking for loose connection at starter. Reaches up with left hand, wedding ring makes contact between 12v cable from battery and casing of starter (grounded). Ring fuses to battery cable, and mechanic is stuck for about 10 seconds. When he finally gets hand loose he pulls hand down, I see the ring is glowing orange, he tries to pull it off with other hand but can't cause he burns those fingers trying to grab the ring. Soaked him with garden hose. Burn't flesh around ring finger, looked and smelled like steak.
Jewelry is for going out,not working. Corey
True story. Mechanic working on a car up on a lift. Standing under car checking for loose connection at starter. Reaches up with left hand, wedding ring makes contact between 12v cable from battery and casing of starter (grounded). Ring fuses to battery cable, and mechanic is stuck for about 10 seconds. When he finally gets hand loose he pulls hand down, I see the ring is glowing orange, he tries to pull it off with other hand but can't cause he burns those fingers trying to grab the ring. Soaked him with garden hose. Burn't flesh around ring finger, looked and smelled like steak.
Jewelry is for going out,not working. Corey
Similar threads
