Think Your Job is Dangerous?

Date Posted: Friday, June 30th, 2017

Many people have experienced injuries while at the workplace. These maladies could be anything from getting a papercut while filing paperwork, having back strains from lifting a heavy box, or even getting the dreaded Carpal Tunnel from typing on a keyboard for too long. Then again, most of these injuries occur in the modern day workplace: the office. Your garden-variety office worker has surely experienced any of these or other minor symptoms at one time or another, yet has anyone you know ever been injured by a cow?

A few weeks ago, a researcher came in and asked to look up some records on Industrial Accident Board cases via the Department of Labor. While perusing some of these files, a coworker and I stumbled upon a case from an employee of one of the du Pont family members. The employee in question was described as having a “hurt neck”, and the injury report stated something along the lines of: “Employee was milking a cow. The cow fell over, landing on and injuring the employee’s neck”.

I know it’s never polite to laugh at someone during an accident, but seeing as this took place in the mid-20th century, my coworker and I felt OK with erupting with laughter as to this poor soul’s workplace cow-tastrophe. I mean, how many people have had a cow fall on their neck while at work?

And you thought you had it bad when the copier machine stops working…

For more information on Industrial Accident Board visit the “Old Awards” & Closed Case Files Department of Labor page