‘I had a helmet, boots, harness, high-vis jacket – but it was my back that hit the ground’

Robert Bradshaw was a self-employed steel erector for almost 30 years when, on September 16th, 2014, he had an accident at work that left him paralysed from the waist downwards.

“I was dismantling the roof on an old steel barn when I stood on an internal cement block wall and tripped and tumbled on to the concrete floor [of the barn],” he says. He remembers that he was fully aware and wondered why he didn’t feel any pain. He was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital and transferred to the Mater hospital in Dublin that evening for an operation the following day.

“I woke up the next day after the operation and realised I had no movement at all and that I was paralysed,” he says.

The surgical intervention could not repair the compressed vertebrae and spinal-cord damage.

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Now, four years later, he says looking back on how he could have done things differently won’t change his life, but admits he wasn’t careful enough. “Safety can get put on the back burner when you get into a job. There wasn’t any scaffolding on the site and demolition isn’t my usual type of work. I’m usually building from scratch. I was used to working at heights. I had a helmet, strong boots, a harness and a high-vis jacket, but it was my back that hit the ground,” he says.

The first month was very tough. The realisation of why you're there hits hard

Following a wait of three months, Bradshaw spent four months in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire. "The first month was very tough. The realisation of why you're there hits hard. But then, I started to train in the gym and got back into swimming. I learned how to handle a wheelchair properly and how to drive an automatic car."

Difficult stage

Returning home to his wife and three teenage sons in Cullen, Co Tipperary, was another difficult stage. "I had been the breadwinner and my wife, Mary, had been in the home with our sons. When the accident happened, she had just finished a degree in social care in University College Cork. She had planned to do a masters, but instead had to look after me," he says.

A part-time farmer, Bradshaw had hoped to be able to work on the farm after his accident but now, after help from relatives for a few years, he has let out his land. “I also tried to work with computers, but I’m not made for the office environment,” he says. To keep his mind and body healthy, he goes to the gym, swims regularly and does exercises at home. “I loved my work and I didn’t realize it until the cold reality of not being able to do it any more hit home,” he says.

This week is Construction Safety Week. Organised by the Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee, the aim is to reduce accidents on working sites by promoting health and safety standards. Workers are advised to stop and assess hazards and risks of a job before beginning it and then to approach the job with appropriate controls in place.

Talks to workers

While in hospital, Bradshaw was asked if he would tell his story to warn other construction workers of the dangers of accidents at work. The resulting video, In the Blink of an Eye, was made in 2016. Following this, the Construction Federation Industry asked him if he would give talks to workers on building sites. "I just go and tell my story. No slides or anything, but when they see the wheelchair, the message strikes home," he says.

You can't be taking chances with your health and your life

“The thing is that we only hear about the fatal accidents on building sites in the media. You never hear about people like me,” he adds. Approximately 30 per cent of non-fatal construction accidents involve a fall.

Bradshaw is matter of fact about his safety message. “What I tell people now is that no matter how much time you’re given for a job, don’t take shortcuts. You are expected to do a full day’s work every day. You can’t be taking chances with your health and your life. The most important thing is that you come home to your wife and children safe and sound each evening. The onus is on you to mind yourself.”