Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What's the worst/most embarrassing injury you have sustained at work?

78 replies

NoEffingWay · 22/08/2021 21:11

I am notoriously clumsy, work is a minefield of beds, chairs, walking frames and hoists. Suffice to say, I am often covered in bruises.

The worst one was nearly rupturing my achilles tendon whilst stood on a sofa fiddling with something up high. It went one way, and I went the other. I ended up lying on the floor clutching my foot, and the patients helped me up!Blush

OP posts:
Ifixfastjets · 22/08/2021 22:44

Using a small screwdriver to undo 3 small screws in a small metal "can".
Can was cylindrical and screwdriver blade went in to my finger.
I calmly walked to the ladies loos to rinse my hand. My (male) boss followed the blood trail on the floor, and came to find out if I was ok.
He looked almost green after following the blood river...
Managed to do the same thing again 6 months later.
Different boss. Different finger.
Was given anti-stab gloves after that. And so was anybody else, who worked on those cans.
Still have the scars, 15 years later. Very neat little rectangles

DyingDeclaration · 22/08/2021 22:45

Fell down steps due to getting heel stuck. Right in front of the head of health and safety, on a site that takes health and safety extremely seriously. Nasty grazes to knee and very embarrassed. Spent rest of afternoon filling out mammoth health and safety forms then had to phone my brand new boss and tell him I'd had an "industrial accident"

Steps were replaced overnight with new treads (told you we take it seriously) and have now been christened the "Dying declaration staircase"

PurpleSproutingSomething · 22/08/2021 22:47

Fell over nothing, and broke my leg and ankle. Pins, plates, the lot!

Quinque · 22/08/2021 22:57

Went to the staff toilet after a meeting, the caretaker had left the floor wet with no warning sign. I slipped and hit the back of my head on the door hinge. I needed 9 stitches and had double vision for the next 24 hours.

EKGEMS · 22/08/2021 23:11

There was an old cabinet staff would put their bags and coats into and I went to open the door and it was old and was stuck so I pulled it harder and accidentally caught the sharp edge of the door just above my eyebrow-I was bleeding and had to go to the emergency department. I didn't need sutures thankfully but it was just embarrassing and had to take a day off my new employee orientation program.

Slub · 22/08/2021 23:13

Not me but a colleague.
Got struck by lightning on way to work.
Not long after had to have the fire brigade out to extract hand from paper shredder Shock

Shanghaisprize · 22/08/2021 23:25

Like @Shanghaisprize I have also sustained ligament damage slipping on a frog whilst taking bins out. Never properly healed.

No way!!! Grin

TSSDNCOP · 22/08/2021 23:36

Cut the end off my middle finger whilst conditioning roses. I'd only just thought, "mind your fingers TSS" next thing I was looking at it on my bench Shock

savagebaggagemaster · 22/08/2021 23:45

Fell flat out onto my hands and knees by tripping over the sticking out feet of a lighting desk in front of a group of giggling teens (tbf they did ask if I was okay) Took down my leggings in the loo to discover that a few layers of skin were stuck on the inside. Still got a scarred knee and ongoing hip issues. Sad

Also at work. Putting up a display, I stepped back down off a desk onto a chair, except I missed the chair and fell straight onto my bum. My older male line manager didn't know what to say or do; he was more embarrassed than I was!

I'm the union health and safety rep...Grin

Cocolapew · 22/08/2021 23:51

In a school, tried to pull the lid of a screw top drinking cup. I managed to punch myself in the nose causing a nose bleed and the cup hit the bridge of my nose cutting it.
Then I had to fill in an accident form Blush

Original poster
NoEffingWay · 22/08/2021 23:53

@TSSDNCOP Shock Could they reattach it?

OP posts:
EBearhug · 22/08/2021 23:56

Dropped a server on my bare foot in the data centre. Didn't tell anyone, as we're meant to wear steel toe-capped boots in the DC for precisely this reason... Not that I've ever dropped more than a pen all the hundreds of other times I've been in the DC with shoes on.

RicherThanYew · 22/08/2021 23:56

Fell on my arse wearing 2 inch block heels and sprained my wrist.

Youcunnyfunt · 23/08/2021 00:03

Slipped down some slightly dodgy stairs while wearing heels. Used the lift a lot more after that…

Also managed to slice my hand open - blood pouring everywhere - after a factory failed to tell me that they had blades installed under the tables that we shouldn’t go near. It was my first day and I was getting through boxes at speed. Why no one mentioned that there were open serrated blades under the lip of the table (not visible) was beyond me!

TSSDNCOP · 23/08/2021 00:09

@NoEffingWay lots of glue and a couple of stitches. It's not pretty.

Councilworker · 23/08/2021 00:18

I had a growth on my neck (pyogenic granuloma). I somehow got my necklace and lanyard tangled up, pulled it really hard and managed to pull the growth mostly but not fully off. Those things bleed a lot. I stayed at work for another 2 hours with a wodge of paper towels held in place by my scarf thinking 'it must have stopped by now' but nope. I ended up going to Minor Injuries to get a haemostatic dressing put on it. My scarf and top were soaked in blood. I really don't know why I didn't just leave earlier.

SkunkButRug · 23/08/2021 00:52

Was polishing a plastic jig, and got a massive static shock in the nipple. Went down like a sack of spuds. The pain...!

PaperMonster · 23/08/2021 07:24

Walking into the building in a total daydream and the automatic door stopped mid-open and my elbow and arm were badly bruised by the impact.

I am, however, left with a chronic pain condition as a result of just actually doing my job.

bellissimiaow · 23/08/2021 07:35

I slipped on a chip in a kitchen and fell onto the side of a cooker (not on thankfully!) and bruised all my ribs. I was black and blue for ages.

Mydogisagentleman · 23/08/2021 08:55

I did the splits and dislocated my knee when I was bringing a service user out of the bathroom in a shower chair.

TheFutureIs · 23/08/2021 09:01

Second day of teacher training placement and I slipped on a puddle on a lab floor cracking my side on the edge of a heavy wooden lab bench. Broken ribs, couldn't carry a handbag for months

Cerebelle · 23/08/2021 09:57

Microwaved some porridge without loosening the lid on the container. When I opened it, boiling porridge splattered all over my hand, giving me quite a burn. Had to spend ages with my hand under the tap. Also fell down a short flight of stairs in front of some year 9s and swore fairly loudly. Luckily they didn't dob me in!

dunkery · 23/08/2021 18:45

Broke my arm falling off a swivel chair putting up xmas decorations in the office. Had to get my DP to cut up my dinner at my staff xmas party a week later. By the time I went back to work the decorations were long gone.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 23/08/2021 18:54

My one... no one is quite sure what happened. I either fell off a year, missed a chair while attempting to sit on it, or fainted. I hit my head on the chair, knocking myself unconscious. I landed on my own rifle, breaking the rifle and turning my arm black and blue. In front of 10 people, including a senior officer.

I was then sent on my way to complete the exercise, the rifle was only realised to be broken when I couldn't shoot it later that day, and the concussion became evident over the next few days as I kept falling asleep everywhere.

HopingForOurRainbowBaby · 24/08/2021 00:40

Making scrambled eggs for a service users tea. Took them out the microwave to give them a stir and they exploded all over my face and inside my eye. A burnt eyeball is fucking painful!! At another call I got trapped between the wall and the bed whilst changing it and knew if I tried moving or pushing the bed out with my hip my knee would dislocate. I had to ring her Son to come and free me. Another job I stepped back off a chair onto a shoe box and fell backwards landing on my elbow. I fainted doing that one. Stood at the back of the delivery Truck because we were rife for shop lifters and druggies and needed someone to stand out with cages before there were taken into the shop. I was away from the tail lift just incase a cage fell over the edge. Didn't need to worry about that I still got squashed by one anyway after it rolled off the kerb and flattened me up against the side of the truck. Of course it couldn't have been the nice light one that rolled off. Also managed to impale my thumb on a cage whilst pulling stock of it. I hadn't realised that the box I'd pulled off was holding the lid part up on it and it came crashing down. Unfortunately there was a bit of metal that was loose on it and it shot straight through my thumb as my hand was resting on it. Slipped on cream that someone had dropped in the walk in chiller but not bothered cleaning up. Apparently I'm rather accident prone and actually there's probably a lot more too