Zero Days Since Our Last Accident

Have you guys been to the UPS pickup office in Potrero Hill by 280? They have all these huge banners in the lobby that say "We Have Been An Accident-Free Work Zone for 10,000 Days," or something to that effect. As we while away our life waiting in line (only to find that the package we're waiting for is "still on the truck," but that's a separate post for a separate day), we amuse ourselves by idly speculating, what do you think the last accident was? And isn't that a lot of pressure to put on everyone not to get injured today, which would then necessitate the removal of all those signs?

Anyways, these thoughts occur to us in the wake of the reports that four construction workers working on a 55-story condo at One Rincon Hill (sketch of the building at left) were injured when the deck they were standing on collapsed. Thank goodness they were only at the third floor when it happened -- though their injuries range from mild to serious. Cal OSHA had inspected the site a number of times before, but only found minor violations. Work's been shut down for the rest of the day and an investigation is pending.

We wish the workers a speedy recovery, of course --but this also reminds us of that Simpsons episode where they have a sign outside a construction site that says "---3 Days Since Our Last Accident," and then you see a cloud of dust and hear someone saying, "Aaaaaah, nuts."