July 31, 2006

Urban legends: Have you heard the one about ...?

Construction sites have always provided fertile ground for the spread of urban legends

PETER KENTER

correspondent

TORONTO

Have you heard the one about the bricklayer who rigged a pulley to remove bricks from the top of a building:

“Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was and before I knew what was happening, the barrel started down, jerking me off the ground. I decided to hang on! Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down... and received a severe blow on the shoulder. I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers jammed in the pulley!”

Though it continues to be reprinted as truth, it’s actually the creation of British humourist Gerard Hoffnung, one of a set of pervasive urban legends that continue to resurface in the construction industry.

Other construction-themed legends include:

• the arc welder who wears contact lenses on the job, and finds the lenses fused to his corneas;

• sewer contractors who encounter a fully-grown alligator — once an unwanted pet flushed down the toilet, and;

• deceased construction workers callously left entombed inside a giant project — often the Hoover Dam. Another spin: murder victims are stashed under the asphalt of a major road project.

“There are numerous construction-related legends,” says Jodi McDavid, a trained folklorist, and Archivist at the Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.

“These include architects committing suicide as a result of their failed building projects, buildings being built backwards or sinking, and legends about secret tunnels.”

What separates an urban legend from a run-of-the-mill shaggy dog story?

“Urban legends usually sound as though they could be true,” says McDavid. “They are generally believed by the person who is passing the story on. They involve things that we’re concerned about, and in the case of construction, many deal with workplace safety, or new technology.”

But there are ways to sniff out a rat — even if it happens to be the destructive pet of a woman who believes it to be a Chihuahua.

“Typically, urban legends happened to a ‘friend of a friend’,” says McDavid. “As well, urban legends often have strong morals, such as, people in an area they shouldn’t be in, or not taking precautions.

“When I hear a story that I suspect is an urban legend, I ‘google’ key words, like ‘alligator’ and ‘sewer.’ I also go to www.snopes.com, a searchable urban legend website to see if it is listed.

“My best advice is to listen to the story and think carefully.”

“We have some of the greatest story tellers around.”

Clive Thurston

OGCA

McDavid says that the construction industry is fertile ground for the transmission of urban legends.

“Any higher-risk profession has a tendency to have more legends and occupational folklore, and any highly oral culture is a prime place for the spread of legends. Construction sites certainly fall into this category.” he says.

“Legends and jokes tend to be a ‘safe’ way of expressing ideas, making small talk and having the day go by faster. Some construction workers also go to a variety of work sites, do a variety of jobs, and interact with other professionals, such as electricians. This certainly increases the transmission of jokes and legends.”

Clive Thurston, president of the Ontario General Contractors Association, agrees:

“We have some of the greatest story tellers around — but most of the stories cannot be told in polite company.

“Of course, there’s the one about the fellow who flew off a building in a high wind scenario while holding a piece of plywood above his head. I hear this is absolutely true.”

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