Your worse first day of work was...

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   1989, first day working at the plant my girlfriend (now wife) was working at. I was helping do a mould change in a press and needed to cut an electrical umbilical cable free that was held on to a bolt by a zip-tie. I used a carpet knife, but the tip kinda grabbed the bolt it was tied to so I pulled harder while holding the cable out away from the bolt so as not to cut it. The knife let go and it slammed into my hand holding the cable.
So less than one hour in someone had to go to the front office and let my honey know I was just taken to the hospital because I cut myself. 
8 stitches later I decided I would use side cutters going forward.

Can you beat that one?

Edited by JD - June 29 2023 at 10:37

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JD Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 07 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 18446	Post Options Post Reply Quote JD Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Your worse first day of work was... Posted: June 29 2023 at 10:36
	1989, first day working at the plant my girlfriend (now wife) was working at. I was helping do a mould change in a press and needed to cut an electrical umbilical cable free that was held on to a bolt by a zip-tie. I used a carpet knife, but the tip kinda grabbed the bolt it was tied to so I pulled harder while holding the cable out away from the bolt so as not to cut it. The knife let go and it slammed into my hand holding the cable. So less than one hour in someone had to go to the front office and let my honey know I was just taken to the hospital because I cut myself. 8 stitches later I decided I would use side cutters going forward. Can you beat that one? Edited by JD - June 29 2023 at 10:37
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I prophesy disaster Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: December 31 2017 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 4918	Post Options Post Reply Quote I prophesy disaster Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 29 2023 at 11:31
	1981, within the first few weeks of starting at a pharmaceutical laboratory, I pipetted 5M NaOH (translation: 200 grams per litre caustic soda) solution into my mouth. It was my own stupid fault as the pipette was too short for the volumetric flask (not to mention that I was pipetting by mouth, which was common practice in those days). I was fortunate not to swallow any, but I did drive myself to the hospital for proper treatment after the initial first aid at the workplace. After a few hours at the hospital (spent mostly waiting), I was back at work in time for lunch. The chemical burn to the inside of my mouth (mainly the tongue) made it rather sensitive to pretty much anything.
	No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man.

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Status: Offline Points: 37228	Post Options Post Reply Quote Logan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 29 2023 at 11:59
	When I was 19 and got a job as a cocktail bartender at a hotel pool-area bar, and didn't know how to make many cocktails (I had tried to study, but that's not the kind of good memory I have). I got really flustered and was working alone as I tried to deal with multiple orders. We did have a recipe book, and I used the blender for one drink and hadn't put the lid on tightly and got icy drink over the counter and me. A group of patrons were laughing. It was very embarrassing.

Necrotica Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Colaborator Joined: July 28 2015 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 3407	Post Options Post Reply Quote Necrotica Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 29 2023 at 12:14
	My first day in the Navy, since I was getting screamed at in boot camp... while having food poisoning Edited by Necrotica - June 29 2023 at 12:15
	Take me down, to the underground Won't you take me down, to the underground Why oh why, there is no light And if I can't sleep, can you hold my life https://www.youtube.com/@CocoonMasterBrendan-wh3sd

Mirakaze Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Eclectic, JRF/Canterbury, Avant/Zeuhl Joined: December 17 2019 Location: (redacted) Status: Offline Points: 4229	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mirakaze Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 29 2023 at 12:24
	In 2018 on my first night of working as a dishwasher at the restaurant of the Dutch National Museum in Amsterdam, I had to work from 6PM to 2AM straight, performing strenuous physical labour without any breaks, getting blisters on my hands from constantly soaking them in hot water, being ordered around by impatient aggravated people who all hated being there, and only being given leftovers to eat during the few five-second interludes when there was no work to do. After my shift was done I found out that, contrary to what I'd been told, there's no bus service between Amsterdam and my home town on weekdays after 2AM which meant I was stranded until daybreak and to top it all off, I found out later that they wouldn't even fully cover my travel expenses. I managed to hold down this particular job for a little over a month before suffering a nervous breakdown and losing about two years' worth of hard-won self-esteem
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Cosmiclawnmower Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: August 09 2010 Location: West Country,UK Status: Offline Points: 3950	Post Options Post Reply Quote Cosmiclawnmower Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 29 2023 at 13:40
	In the first week of a new deputy head job (many many years ago) i was feeding a particularly knotty piece of brashwood into woodchipper when it kicked upwards and squashed a finger and thumb on my right hand against the top of the shute. I had thick gloves on but knew i had done some damage when blood was running down my wrist. lost both nails and both finger pads. I managed to get back to our mess room before passing out. Everyone thought 'oh no is this idiot going to be an accident prone liability? And he's supposed to be in charge!' Luckily not. I stayed in that job 10 years.


JD Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 07 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 18446	Post Options Post Reply Quote JD Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 29 2023 at 16:49
	Some strong contenders here, that's for sure. Gotta be more members with some additional horror stories. Guys ??? (and gals of course and, well, everyone !) Sorry, I just WOKE up.
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progaardvark Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Crossover/Symphonic/RPI Teams Joined: June 14 2007 Location: Sea of Peas Status: Offline Points: 52608	Post Options Post Reply Quote progaardvark Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 30 2023 at 06:46
	I guess I've never really had a bad first day of work for any of the jobs I've had. The closest was when I discovered bird poop on my jeans while I was walking in on my first day. I just went into the bathroom at work and cleaned it up. No worries and nobody saw it or me cleaning it up. Boring, eh? Hardly even compares to what you all had to deal with. But I am glad that you all made it through your ordeals.
	---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions

richardh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29438	Post Options Post Reply Quote richardh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 30 2023 at 07:04
	Being sekonded to work at a client's property management practice, I was supposed to get 3 days training on software I didn't have much clue about coupled with trying to learn double entry book keeping on the hoof. At lunch the client decided to shout very loudly to the lady that was training me. She left in a huff and I was then asked 'you know enough now to do the job yes?'. That was the beginning of the most awful 3 days of work I can ever remember. I barely had a clue what I was doing. The weekend thankfully came as I was close to chucking the job in but a few beers put me straight and somehow I managed to stick to it.

presdoug Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 24 2010 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 8718	Post Options Post Reply Quote presdoug Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: July 06 2023 at 15:54
	I believe it was around 1995, I was starting a cleaning job and my day of training was the Thursday before the Easter long weekend; I was basically shown everything that one time, and then a four day long weekend, and then started my first shift and because I had been away for four days and had not written down my duties and where things were, etc, (my fault) my trainer still expected me to know everything like the back of my hand, and I did not, so he proceeded to emotionally lose it with me and yelled at me loudly that whole day, it was emotional abuse , but somehow I hung in there and did not throw in the towel.

BrufordFreak Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: January 25 2008 Location: Wisconsin Status: Offline Points: 8423	Post Options Post Reply Quote BrufordFreak Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: July 06 2023 at 16:25
	Itried bartending at age 22 then food service/waiting tables at age 23 both with the goal of meeting and talking with people, hearing their stories, and, hopefully, making people's days a little bit better. Failed MISERABLY at both as I am hopelessly bad at multi-tasking or, as we called it in the education world, "with-it-ness." First day on both jobs--training days--were so overwhelming I had to hole up in a cabin for a week just to decompress. (Signs of being on the autistic spectrum????) I was mildly successful at janitorial services (2 winters in high school), teaching tennis (5 summers during high school and college), elementary school teaching (8 years), homeschool support/counsel, and 29 years as a massage therapist (on-going). P.S. it's amazing how many of the above stories I can relate and commiserate with! Edited by BrufordFreak - July 06 2023 at 16:27
	Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/