Today’s Doofus – a prime example of the breed! – comes from Sweden.
An attempt by a truck driver with a chill to warm himself in an industrial oven has prompted a reaction from Sweden’s work safety agency.
An alert shrink oven operator was able to drag the truck driver out of the 180 degree Celsius [356 degrees Fahrenheit] heat before he sustained any serious injuries, according to Sveriges Radio (SR).
The incident took place in February at a facility in Hässleholm in southern Sweden operated by Ballingslöv, a maker of kitchen and bathroom cabinets and fixtures.
The heating system in the facility’s loading area had ceased to function, leaving the truck driver defenseless against Sweden’s chilly February temperatures.
Looking to escape the cold, the man wandered to another part of the building and asked the shrink oven operator if he could take a spin on the oven’s conveyor belt to get warm.
Although the reluctant operator denied the shivering man’s request, the truck driver managed to get himself on to the conveyor belt anyway while no one was looking.
But the weighty truck driver proved too heavy for the belt, causing its motor to shut down and leaving him stuck in the middle of the dangerously hot oven.
Following the incident, Sweden’s Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket) has asked that the oven operator be given counseling to work through the shock he suffered during the rescue.
Ye Gods and little fishes . . . I can understand his wanting to warm himself – but to climb into an oven hot enough to cook a standing rib roast??? I don’t care how cold it is outside, that’s too hot for me!
Peter
I have some family I often visit in Norway. It definitely gets cold enough in Winter to make you crazy. When I got back to the States this January, I was comfortably wearing a short sleeve t-shirt outside when it barely in the upper 30s. I’ve heard places like Colorado, Vermont, and Alaska get the same way! The word “cold” obtains an entirely more profound meaning after spending a month there.
Reminds me of this classic by Robert Service.
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/bluffs/8336/robertservice/sam.html
I wonder what the shock was he suffered. Perhaps he envisioned himself on a large platter with an apple in his mouth.
🙂
I live in sweden… when it’s 5C(41F) outside, I can’t even have my leather jacket zipped up over my t-shirt, I wear it open… and I can certainly go outside without the jacket on, for at least a while(eventually I start feeling cold though, wouldn’t want to be sitting outside for hours in just the tee).
When it’s -20C(-4F), my ears start getting cold and it’s time to think about putting on a warm hat.