Factory Workers Reveal The Craziest Things They've Seen On The Job

Factory Workers Reveal The Craziest Things They've Seen On The Job
[rebelmouse-image 18349060 is_animated_gif=Factory workers are no strangers to injuries. Some of them are pretty grisly. But sometimes, people avoid calamity. Factories are crazy places.
BigRisch asked, Factory workers of Reddit, what is the craziest thing you've witnessed on the job?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
Somebody didn't take the hint.
[rebelmouse-image 18349061 is_animated_gif=Not me, but my dad: he had to take someone at his job to the hospital to get a finger reattached. The day that his co-worker went back to work, he cut off the same finger.
Silly fire codes, who needs 'em?
[rebelmouse-image 18349062 is_animated_gif=A spark from welder flew into an area used by the engineers to store materials. It hit a piece of cardboard and caught fire. So the full factory started smoking up - but no fire alarms went off or anything. Half of us kind of made our way outside.
Apparently, some of our team leaders had extinguished it with some difficulty, as that area was locked off by a metal caging. They gave the factory 10 minutes to let some smoke off the floor, and then we were all told to go back to work.
No EMS or anything was ever called, still seems insane to me.???????
Automation can prevent things like this.
[rebelmouse-image 18349063 is_animated_gif=My dad runs a factory and one time we were on the road going on vacation and my dad got a call and yelled at my mom to turn the car around. We went to the hospital in my hometown and one of my dad's workers had his entire hand chopped off ): I was like 5 and I can still see this 40-year-old man crying at the hospital. It was so sad to see someone working such a low paying job pay such a high price.
Unraveling a sweater is a lucky break.
[rebelmouse-image 18349064 is_animated_gif=Worked in a factory with 10k lbs wooden spools of plastic pipe. Girl pushing full spool down the aisle. Splinter in wood snagged the sweater she was wearing. You cant stop a 10000 lb spool once it starts moving. Spool pulled her sweater and t-shirt off like a Benny Hill gag. Thank god she had the sense to let it take her clothes and not roll over the top of the spool.
My stepdad used to pick snakes out of cranberry bushels.
[rebelmouse-image 18349065 is_animated_gif=Happened a week before I started but... A guy was unwrapping a big pallet of parts that had been shipped over from the plant a county away. Apparently, a copperhead snake had slithered into the wrapped up pallet of stuff and wasn't able to get out, so when he cut open the wrapping this angry snake slithered out and bit him. He went to the hospital and was fine, but who the hell expected a poisonous snake to jump out at you indoors??
It's like a light saber crossed with stigmata.
[rebelmouse-image 18349066 is_animated_gif=I was working in the shop foreman office as an engineering intern (pulling prints and making copies) when one of the welders walked in and calmly said "Larry, I think I should go to the ER" Larry being the foreman asked why he needed to and the guy holds up his hand and looks through a hole in his palm and says "Because I hurt my hand."
He got his hand pinched in a 45kVa spot welder and after it punched a hole in his hand, the arc neatly cauterized it so it wasn't bleeding.???????
Bruhhhh did that just...
[rebelmouse-image 18349067 is_animated_gif=I used to work as a welding inspector, there was a dude grinding on a pipe with a pinch point and the grinding wheel pinched and broke off and glanced off his left eyebrow. Got a couple stitches. We had smoked a joint together twenty minutes earlier and he said the only reason he has his head leaned so far back was coz he was high and it was very loud, had he been in his normal grinding position the blade would have struck him full force square in the face.
Greed is dangerous...
[rebelmouse-image 18349068 is_animated_gif=At my previous place of employment, I watched an entire shift of Factory Workers (easily 30-50 people), instantly scramble to shift/hide pallets full compound that was not approved; all so the dummy pallets of more expensive conforming material could be brought to the front for an unannounced inspection by a third party.
People literally running into each other, almost getting run over by forklifts, etc for a good 20-25 minutes. All because the owner was a cheap ass that liked to use cheaper reprocessed compound, but still wanted to charge customers, and book the cost as if the end product was made with virgin material.
The robot revolution is starting.
[rebelmouse-image 18349069 is_animated_gif=I once saw a baling (packing) robot totally bale up a guy onto a pallet, ready to be loaded into a truck.
Once we found out he was OK, it was unbelievably funny.
No wonder my parents don't eat bologna...
[rebelmouse-image 18349070 is_animated_gif=Many years ago while I was in university I worked in a meat packing plant. From the kill floor, the pigs were divided in half and each half went down two identical lines where bellies, hams, etc were separated out.
At one point the rear of the pig ended up on a conveyor a story and a half up and after whatever processing they did up there the whole hams came down a chute to rejoin the main line.
Guys would walk to the chute, stick their arm in an inspection port and wait for a ham to come down, snapping their arm. Paid time off.
This was the 70's, early 80's so no video surveillance. I guess it was simply a cost of doing business because in the two years I worked there I physically saw it happen twice and heard about it multiple times on other shifts and the line never changed, the ports never locked up, nothing..
But wait...there is more! The station just after those hams came back down was guys with handheld equipment that looked like an angle grinder but that spun (very fast) a circular hacksaw blade. This removed remaining hair and other imperfections from the skin of the ham. Part of my job was to change out those guys buckets full of goo.
Again, over my two years, I witnessed once and heard about at least a couple more times where one guy snapped and used his skinner on the man standing next to him.
As you might imagine the Federal inspectors weren't fond of man goo mixed in with pig goo then mixed into your bologna so that shut the line down for a good long time.
Paid well but employed some real whackos.
The sound of squished foot meat...
[rebelmouse-image 18349071 is_animated_gif=I worked in a packing warehouse for a bit while in between jobs. Some dude was trying to forklift a pallet full of concrete blocks and the pallet arms gave out. Somebody had stacked it too high and the weight of the concrete was too much for it to handle. It fell right next to another worker and completely crushed his foot. His foot basically exploded. I've never heard 2 people scream so loud in my entire life. Dude driving the forklift was obviously drug tested and passed the test clean but decided to quit anyway after the incident. I left the factory before the crushed foot victim could make it out of the hospital and come back so I have no idea how he's doing now.
Nothing to see folks, just a roof fire. Carry on.
[rebelmouse-image 18349072 is_animated_gif=Back in the mid 90 's, I worked for a major automotive industry, we were not allowed to leave the assembly line unless we had someone to replace us. One night we noticed a lot of unusual movement in the isles, people running up and down, we all noticed this and that's when our supervisor yelled keep working the roof is on fire it's almost contained. Smoke was pretty thick in the area behind us, we just kept working like little slaves we were.
Meh, he's good, just some light forklift hazing.
[rebelmouse-image 18349073 is_animated_gif=Warehouse guys pressured someone who had never driven a forklift before (no certification) to try it out. They failed to mention that forklift had no brakes. How you stop it is switching into reverse (Ya I know its bad). Why didn't they tell him? Guy reverses forklift into a gas line that luckily wasn't in use. Holy fuck. Safety meeting and the forklift got fixed after that.
Saved by the net. Barely.
[rebelmouse-image 18349075 is_animated_gif=A Volkswagen Atlas was on the conveyor belt in the air, fell out of the harness and landed upside down in the protective cage. We got to take most of the rest of the day off. It was pretty lucky that it wasn't over somebody's head unprotected at the time.
Talk about shattering your world...
[rebelmouse-image 18349076 is_animated_gif=I opened 5 tonnes of glass with a guy and it fell on him. His legs and pelvis were crushed. I ran to get the boss, I must have been green because he sent me straight out to wait for the ambulance.
Way to watch out for your workers there, factory...
[rebelmouse-image 18349077 is_animated_gif=Worked for an organization where a piece of rigging failed and killed someone who was underneath.
Two years later, my team is brought in from a different plant to consult on improving their safety record at that facility. They showed us the piece of equipment that failed and they were still performing the task in the exact same way as when the person was killed.
That stopped that day.
The NERVE!
[rebelmouse-image 18349078 is_animated_gif=When I worked in a hydraulics factory where we worked 50+ hours a week, some guy went up to our manager and asked for a day off. I've never seen something so absurd in this industry in my entire life.
Poor snake :(
[rebelmouse-image 18349079 is_animated_gif=Worked in UPS for about 6 years. My job was to take boxes off the conveyor belt and set them off to be shipped. This wooden box with these huge metal screws that were clearly exposed inside was shaking. I took it off the conveyor and shook it some more. The box started shaking wildly and I brought my boss and some of the other workers came over. We ended up calling animal control.
So the guy comes and he pries a corner open the tiniest bit. Looks inside and says, "Oh s***" then goes out to his truck to get the sleep dart gun. He pries it open a bit more and without even looking fires five darts off. The box stops shaking and we open it fully. He takes out this snake that's as thick as my arm and is about as long as both of my arms. The things all bloodied up because every time it moved it'd get cut by the screws exposed inside the box. It wiggled around a bit and finally died.
Dude almost sent himself to Belize...
[rebelmouse-image 18349081 is_animated_gif=My dad told me a story once, he used to work in this factory that had a big acid vat used for acid washing jigs and what not. The acid apparently was heated to just below boiling, and a guy fell in it waist deep and had to be pulled out. He was screaming and then I guess tried to remove his steel-toed boots and jeans but it was peeling his skin off his body like a rubber glove. The guy went in to shock and they just had to wait for an ambulance to arrive.
Hey, just scrape off the dead flesh.
[rebelmouse-image 18349082 is_animated_gif=I worked as a millwright from 99 to 03. I traveled around the US, Canada, and Mexico repairing forging and stamping presses.
I got sent to some plant in Pennsylvania to repair a press. The foreman of the plant was walking me back to the press I had come to look at. We passed row after row of presses on the way. As we passed this one press, a worker had a wide putty knife and was scraping something off the die. It was on there pretty good and he was having some trouble with it. The guy was acting like it was plutonium or something and trying not to touch it while scraping it off. I asked the foreman what he was doing and he says" we had a guy get his hand in there when the press came down". The guy was scraping the other guy's flat hand off the die.???????
History is made on a daily basis.
Indeed, there is little more exciting than having witnessed the accomplishments of people like Barack Obama, Stacey Abrams, and Greta Thunberg knowing that they have firmly reserved a space for themselves in history books.
Of course, most of the people who paved the way to make the world what it is today have long since passed away.
Not all of them, though!
It may surprise you to learn that there are people who made an indelible impression on history who are still much alive today.
Some of whom even continue to make a difference to this very day
Redditor enginearz was eager to hear about historical figures people were surprised to learn were still alive, leading them to ask:
"What famous person from history is still alive?"
Forever Leaving His Name In Science
"Yuri Oganessian."
"He's the only currently living man with an element on the periodic table named after him."- snowflake247
Quite The Story To Tell
"Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."
"Last human to hold the title of Tsar, as leader of the Kingdom of Bulgaria."
"He was exiled along with his family when the Soviets invaded Bulgaria in 1944."
"In 1990, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Simeon returned from exile to Bulgaria and July 2001, was democratically elected prime minister."
"The private citizen is now 85."- DirectionNew5328
Making Nature Cool For Decades
"Jane Goodall."
"David Attenborough."- random_username_96
The Fought For Freedom And Justice
"John Hemingway."
"The last surviving airman of the battle of Britain."
"He is 103 years old."
"Ivan Martynushkin."
"He helped with the liberation of Auschwitz."
"He is 99 years old."
"Benjamin Ferencz."
"He was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials."
"He is 102 years old."- Ashtar-the-Squid
"Traute Lafrenz."
"The last living member of the german anti-nazi resistance group 'White Rose".
"Most well-known members were the sibling Sophie and Hans Scholl, who were executed by the Nazis when they were identified."- ChrisTinnef
The One Who Made One Giant Leap For Mankind
"Buzz Aldrin, and I’m not even American."- mukaltin
Opening Doors For So Many Others
"Ruby Bridges."
"She was one of the first black kids to go to an all-white school."
"There is a famous picture of that first day."- mumwifealcoholic
He Continues To Surprise Us
"Ozzy Osbourne."- CaptinDerpI
Admirably Defying So Many Odds
"Jimmy Carter."
"98 years old."- Back2Bach
We've Still Got Two Out Of Four
"Paul and Ringo"- HMKingHenryIX
Inching Close To The Big One Double Oh...
"Kissinger."- LucyVialli
Who Could Forget About Dick Van Dyke ?!?!?!?!
"Everyone just forgetting about Dick Van Dyke, he's like 97 and still going."
"If you've never heard of him, he played in Marry Poppins, along with a bunch more movies"- Longjumping_Drag2752
And Still Stunning
"Sophia Loren is still kicking."- The_REAL_McWeasel
Continuing To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before
"William Shatner doesn't look it but that dude is in his 90s wtf."- flubberF*ck
Perhaps what's most admirable, is that even when these astonishing people do eventually pass, they will continue to live on and change the world with the remarkable work they did.
We all indulge in fast food from time to time.
Even if we know what we're eating isn't exactly healthy, sometimes the salty, fatty mass-produced food is the only thing we want.
Resulting in our making weekly, if not daily, visits to a nearby chain.
Then, of course, there are the chains that we make every effort to avoid.
We've likely tried places at least once simply because everyone is always talking about them.
But after having one bite, we have trouble seeing exactly what all the fuss was about and vow to never return.
Even if it might be the only option at a rest stop or even the only available food for miles, we instead opt to wait and be hungry.
Redditor BungOnMimosas was curious to hear what people considered to be the most overhyped fast food chains around, leading them to ask:
"What do you think are the most overrated fast-food chains? Why?"
"Food As It Should Be"... Or Not...
"I know it's not technically 'fast food', but Panera Bread pisses me off."
"Insanely expensive for extremely average food." - Reddit
"Panera."
"Their quality has decreased so much in the past few years and they’ve added weird sh*t to their menu like pizza and chicken sandwiches."
"Massive identity crisis and crap food."- asm233
Things Ain't What They Used To Be...
"All of them, now that they charge real restaurant prices."- P00pf4rt5
Golden Arches
"As much as I hate to say it, McDonald's is the only place that I can think of that the quality hasn't changed much."
"I mean, that's a pretty low bar, but it is what it is."- gnatman66
"The majority of them, especially the really big ones (McDonald's, Wendy's, BK, Pizza Hut, etc)."
"The prices are no longer fast food prices and the quality is not there like it used to be."
"Far better local options that cost roughly the same at the end of the day."- senorita_diablo
Consistency Is Key...
"Dunkin."
"You can go to the same location three separate times, have the food made by the same staff, and receive 3 wildly different results."- AndrewLampart
Not So Popular Anywhere, It seems...
"KFC in France became so bad."- SterBout
Likely Won't Go National...
"Idk how wide spread they are, but in the Buffalo NY area there is a chain called Mighty Taco."
"They were even voted best tacos a few years ago."
"It is absolutely terrible food."
"I’ve tried to like it and given them 3 chances."
"Each time I couldn’t eat more than a couple bites."
"Absolutely terrible and I’m disgusted even thinking about their sour vomit in a tortilla."- aa-2020
"Eat Fresh"...
"I think I’ve answered this question before but definitely for me, it’s Subway."
"Nothing but a giant hunk of bread."
"I’m editing this to add that part of my anger about Subway is how good it used to be."
"I can remember the days of nearly a whole can of tuna salad delicious sub."
"And a Veggie sub with Swiss cheese and piles of yummy veggies and the sweet Vidalia onion sauce."
"It’s all gone to sh*t."
"I would’ve been perfectly OK with increasing price but the big drop in quality pissed me off."
"Oh woe is me with my first world problems."- Mysterious-Region640
Quantity Doesn't Guarantee Quality...
"Starbucks is a scam."- cmkeller62
Tasty, But Not Worth It...
"I’m going to say Five Guys."
"Not because the food isn’t good, but because I’m not paying $20 for a burger meal."- 2PacTookMyLunchMoney
"Dairy queen grill and Chill for sure."
"I worked at one for a lil' while and 1 burger combo is $14.56 CAD."- lolidk13
And Not In A Good Way...
Big Kahuna Burger, it kills you."-Darklock2022
No two people have the same taste in food.
Some people know to avoid crappy food, while others eat literally nothing else.
People Break Down Which Movies They Wish They Could Watch Again For The First Time
There are several movies I've watched so many times I think the viewings outnumber the days I've lived.
And much like a favorite tv series or movie, who wouldn't love to start again anew?
Experiencing that first time but with that feeling of... "I'm gonna love this forever."
We never appreciate the first time enough.
But that's life.
Warning: there are spoilers below.
Redditor Jacale1 wanted to discuss all the movies we wish we could experience new all over again, so they asked:
"What is one movie that you wish you could watch again for the first time?"
There are a lot of mystery movies I'd love to redo, just to figure out the killer sooner.
Gasps!
"The Shawshank Redemption."
MisOlga26
"A great nominee. Will never forget gasping when that rock went through the poster, and again when the warden pushed his arm through and ripped it down.... wow."
GalavantingRhino
Over and Over
"Edge of Tomorrow."
jeanrbel
"Is it bad that I got enjoyment knowing Tom Cruise died a lot in that movie. Never on screen, but it happened. Over and over. I hate that guy. How the hell was he the same height as Nichole Kidman in the movies they acted in together. Rhetorical question."
monrovista
"Honestly the whole reason I watched the movie to begin with is that he kept dying over and over."
AutomaticMethod2437
Swooned Away
“'Stardust'- if you don’t know you’ll never know."
jthekoker
"I’m surprised that a fantasy romcom can be so enjoyable, for a straight guy. It’s just the right balance between fantasy, comedy, drama, and romance. Most of the female cast are very easy on the eyes too."
"I swooned when Yvaine glows while dancing on the ship, and when she talks emphatically to the mouse in the caravan. This movie has a lot of A listers, and they deliver. I’m not gonna lie, I have probably watched it half a dozen times."
Redcarborundum
"The book has so much more in it, even having seen the movie you'll feel like a child again."
Beowulf33232
Hail Sigourney
"Alien."
NearDeafExperience
"I watched this with my wife, who has never seen it, and that's about as close as you can get to watching it for the first time. It really displayed just how good the movie is. Also I love Aliens just as much for different reasons."
QueafyGreens
"Came here looking for this! I watched it for the first time with my dad when I was 11, and it’s one of my favorite childhood memories. Amazing movie."
_shes_a_jar
Hey Arnold
"Terminator 2."
lobotomek
"I first watched this as a kid when I knew Arnold was the good guy in movies, and I had not seen T1. I wish I watched T2 for the first time after having watched T1. The mall scene would have been even more mind blowing."
Volvulus
T2 was definitely bada**!! I'd redo that.
Brilliant
"The Departed."
Lineworker2448
"Bro, I'll go further. If I could watch the Nicholson covered in blood scene or the final scene between Damon and Wahlberg, I would be so freaking happy. The sheer acting clout on display for the first is near a masterclass while the last scene was just so business like, I'd love to relive that scene with fresh eyes. I love this freaking movie."
DaBearsMan_72
Originality
"The original Star Wars. Man, that blew our minds! It totally changed movies from then on. We'd never seen such incredible special effects. The story was so fun and the experience was amazing."
Raggmommy
"Even though I’m not a franchise fan, I can get behind this answer. Because when I saw it first run, I was fourteen, and nothing like it had ever been done. I think it was the first movie where the special effects were the movie? Now that’s standard. It’s a reason people see many films now."
"So, for sheer originality, I’d watch it again, but only for the first time. I barely recall the second movie."
Alexbmac
SURPRISE!!
"The 6th Sense. I audibly gasped in the theater. All the clues are obvious on rewatch but that first time, before anyone knew M. Knight Shyamalan was a twist guy... wow."
GalavantingRhino
"I never got to see it the first time. My girlfriend at the time (now wife) inadvertently let slip the ending thinking I had already seen it. I have never seen the point in watching it knowing the ending. But I did enjoy The Village."
failurebeatssuccess
"I watched it again and it was more of a sad film than a thriller."
anotherbarry
Just Beautiful!
"Spirited Away. I was blown away by how beautiful and bonkers it is."
Lizziebunnypie
"Saaaaame! Every single Studio Ghibli film, but Spirited Away especially! I’ve still watched it a million times though, and it’s always special. If I’m in a bad mood that film always cheers me up!"
"Also, Avatar-the last air bender. I know it’s not a movie, but I felt like it deserved a mention. I’ve watched the whole thing several times, and it’s always great, but I do wish I could forget it and rewatch it. I’m 35 btw... lol."
Mimi_315
Great Scott!
"Back to the Future."
dwkindig
"I'd love to watch that in the cinemas... Now from the future."
billieboop
Now I want to go to the movies.
There is no one way to anybody's heart or libido.
Sexy doesn't always have to equal raunchy.
I've known people turned on by music, books, nature, and even funerals (don't ask).
What starts someone's engine is a mystery.
Redditor asexyjohn18 wanted to hear about all the things that get people in the mood, so they asked:
"What is a non sexual trait that turns you on?"
I love a walk. A little strut. Nothing like getting the heart racing.
Tingles
"Getting my head scratched or having someone run their fingers through my hair."
SensitiveDolphin55
"Same. It’s so pleasant when the tingles run down your spine... ;-) "
PumpkinSpiceMaster
LOLOL
"When a girl genuinely laughs at jokes I make."
Realistic_Practice16
"I remember being on a first date with a beautiful woman and I made a bit of corny joke/comment and she laughed at it. I remember thinking, damn, wait till I get to my good stuff. I did get to my good material apparently as we were married. She gives me as many laughs as I give her."
CarlJustCarl
Do Right
"Kindness. When I see someone going out of their way to help others for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do… that is some truly attractive vibes."
Electrical-Bid-9577
"Apparently it's vanishing from this world really fast. People who show kindness often end up in losses (of course not everytime but most of the time yes). It really breaks my heart."
Walker1798
"Probably the sexiest thing out there. Someone can be smoking hot, funny, talented, etc. But if they're not kind, they're unattractive."
sravll
Oh Yes...
"Smiling right at me, and men stretching. LAWD HAVE MERCY!!"
Skwiddling
"I have trouble smiling at women. Is this a turnoff for them? And ones I like are really hard to smile at. Because I know it's always going to be some really weird big smile if I am crushing which makes me feel like a super duper creep."
Maximum_Knee_4622
Simplicity
"Sorry if this is too kinky but i like it when they care about me."
SirReal10000
"Too far man. You need to rethink your choices."
Funkeysismychildhood
Sometimes it's all about the heart.
Eye 2 Eye
"When a guy explains something to you in a calm and understanding voice. Bonus points for gentle eye contact."
Belphiespillow666
GENIUS!!
"Being crazily intelligent. Screw dirty talk, I want you to explain some unexplainable s**t in my ear."
-F**KINGUSERNAME
"Heck yes. My best connections have been with a philosophy/history professor turned chancellor, an environmental engineer, and a neurosurgeon, all 3 Summa cum laude grads and conference speakers in their fields. The downside to genius though is complete absorption in their fields leaving little time for in person connection."
__trezora__
Yummies
"Everyone should know how to cook. Hunger knows no gender. I like to eat good food so I learned how to cook. I asked my mom one day and she reacted surprised. She was more than grateful to have an opportunity to teach me the ‘finer’ aspects of cooking, as she called it. Lol. I love food."
"My girlfriend, now wife, likes to jokingly say I got her into bed with a well seasoned steak and homemade fries. I mean we did sleep together almost immediately after we finished dinner so maybe she’s right. That old saying comes to mind. 'The quickest way to the heart is though the stomach.'"
SaiyanGodKing
Getting Green
"When I ask my husband for help when I repot my plants and he delicately cleans and moves the leaves. He is a mechanical engineer and he works with huge pieces of industrial equipment, seeing him so tenderly caring for my plants just makes me melt."
BoysenberryNo3877
Limbs A Lot
"Men doing intricate work with their hands."
GooglePixel69
"I second this, also someone who can play guitar/bass real real well... just watching their hands, whoa mama."
squeaky-mcgee
Well, it seems that just about anything can get someone in the mood, especially if you're kind, courteous, and especially a good cook.
Anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!