23/01/2009
My construction site accident
it happened only two hours ago

As a largely sedentary writer for a personal injury compensation company it's not often I can sit down at my computer and say with all honesty that I have only just been involved in a construction site accident; today, though, is different.

Having succumbed to the effects of a common cold and not wishing to turn the office into the centre of a sniffling snot epidemic, I decided it would be best to keep my distance from my colleagues today by working from home.

This arrangement has worked out rather well, as today is also the day that the builders have finally decided to arrive and perform some essential maintenance to the rear and front facades of my little cottage.

However, what I had not banked on were the hazards inherent in the simplest conventions of human kindness.

Impressed by the speed with which the two builders had managed to get the front fade in shape and seeing that they were already hard at work attending to the rear of the house, I stepped out of the back door and thought I'd offer them tea and biscuits.

After passing under the scaffolding platform on which the two were standing, I looked up and prepared to speak. Unaware of my presence, one of the builders had just hurled a plank of nail-riddled wood from the platform and it came hurtling down, edging ineluctably closer to my bared face.

With only a nanosecond in which to act, I dodged sideways so that the offending plank only narrowly missed making contact with my head, instead brushing against my shoulder, with one of its nails tearing a long gash down my shoulder and arm.

Truth be told, this construction site accident is not as bad as it sounds, nor as bad as I first thought it was.

Fortunately the wound is mostly superficial, my thick layers of clothing seem to have had a protective effect and, after cleaning the wound with antiseptic lotion, it is likely that aside from a minor scar it is unlikely there will be any lasting effect.

But it easily could have been so much worse. In fact, having come so close to suffering serious injury, I really could have done with someone making me a cup of tea.

As might be expected, the builders were both incredibly apologetic and slightly shaken by the near miss. They were also polite enough not to criticise me for failing to announce my arrival in their working area. But it did not stop them from wolfing down a whole pack of custard creams - panic eating?

I guess the incident has only served to affirm my relief that I don't work in the construction industry, where I would be faced with the risk of a construction site accident every day.

Better go, I'm getting a bit peckish. Now, if only there were some biscuits.

Can I claim?