Work site humor

Isn't it amazing how, when someone screws up at work, even if it means everyone will be effected by it, we find it funny. 
Case in point, a number of years ago I was in Palmer Massachusetts, I was standing next to the station watching a Central Vermont Railway crew at work cleaning the small yard there up. They were picking up old metal left laying around for years, sort of a Spring cleaning for the last decade. They were using a Burro Crane with a electro magnet attached to pick up old fishplates, spikes, and assorted debris.

Part way through the operation one of the ground workers asked if he could try out using the crane, the operator stepped out and stood alongside as the new guy went to work. After a couple rather jerky moves back and forth and some overly expedient maneuvers the trainee appeared to be getting the hang of it. Then, all of a sudden, as he brought a load of metal up, he retracted the magnet almost to the top pulley of the crane, realizing we was about to possible wedge the magnet mount and wires into the cranes top spool he grabbed the clutch. The magnet and load dropped, The magnet hit the ground with a thud, the cable shot out of the front of the crane in a giant arc, going up to about 30 feet high and flying forward about 50', The spool did what a spool does, (ever release a bail on a fishing reel when it's under tension?) the cable on the reel expanded outwards creating a giant metal cable knot. It was hilarious, not so much the deed, but the reaction of all his co-workers. Fifteen guys laughing their asses off, a couple laughing so hard they had to hold themselves up by grabbing the crane and flat car. Tears were flowing from their eyes, comments were flying through the air, it was great. The original operator started laughing then started inspecting the reel and what it was going to take to clear it, he stopped laughing. 

Unlike fishing string, you can't just whip out a pocket knife and start cutting out the tangle, you have to forcibly pull on the wedged in twine.