An accident at work can be of any type and severity. Some are costly in health and money; others are minor. One of mine, which wasn’t as minor as we thought, was somewhat bizarre. I was a police officer then, thirty-five years ago, and we had to qualify at the firing range. For ammo, we were issued wadcutters–used brass, refilled with gunpowder and a flat lead slug. Some of the wadcutters had been refilled dozens of times.

One day, a wadcutter which had been refilled too often exploded in my revolver, sharply twisting my wrist.The range officer confiscated my gun until he could determine whether it had been damaged, and I went to the police doctor, who diagnosed a severe sprain and ordered me off duty. For the next six weeks I took anti-inflammatory drugs and answered phones, at my normal salary. Whenever the barometer changes, that wrist still reminds me of the “minor” accident. I don’t think the department owes me money because of the injury, but I do think that no cartridge should be reloaded more than five times before being melted down. Fewer reloads will mean fewer injuries, and that’s important in any kind of workplace.