When my co-worker and I cut and install new ductwork, we need to be extremely careful.
The sheet metal is very sharp and sometimes it can be jagged. My co-workers and I wear a special pair of gloves that have metal on the outside. The gloves have a special layer of grip so I can grasp the metal. These gloves are made for people that cut sharp objects. My co-worker and I were assigned to a ductwork installation job in a brand new house. The place didn’t even have walls yet, but we were sent inside to complete all of the ductwork installation. I was wearing my work gloves to cut the sheets of metal. I didn’t see my coworker walking behind me and I tripped and fell. The sheet metal was in my hands, but part of it hit my arm and sliced through my shirt. I had a terribly deep cut in my arm and it was bleeding a lot. I had to grab a towel from the work truck and wrap it around my arm. I tried to continue with the ductwork installation job, but the cut continued to bleed for nearly an hour before I finally decided to go to the emergency room. I ended up receiving 27 stitches in my arm because the cut was so deep. I’m out of work for the next ten days while the cut heals. Most of the time I have to worry about wearing gloves, but I should have been wearing a chain mail suit to the last job. Thankfully, the accident wasn’t a lot worse for both of us. My coworker could have been injured as well.