Oh boy is that a sore subject here. We used roof-top pipe storage troughs on service trucks. We kept about 5-10 sticks of various sizes of pipe in them. To save space, we kept ground rods stored inside the 3/4" EMT with the points facing toward the back. We could then slam a short piece of 1/2" EMT in there, it would "grab" the rod and allow us to pull it out. We also stored the 1/2" EMT inside the 1" and so on.
The troughs had a lift-up door to gain access to the materials. When closed, they had a hasp that allowed for a padlock to keep it secure, but we used just a piece of wire.
Well, it was late on a Friday and one of my co-workers pulled up beside me at was the first of about 20 lights on the way back to the shop. We would punch the gas when the light turned green and race to the next light.
My new helper didn't recognize the importance of closing and locking down the back door of the trough on our last job of the day. With the door left completely open, each time I punched the gas, a few ground rods slid out. After a while, I had about five of them hanging out about five feet.
The last time that I punched it as we neared the shop, two of them shot out and hit the car behind me. One hit the hood and the other fell on the road.
I just about lost my job over these antics, but my boss felt sympathetic since I got hit with a slew of citations and fines for my irresponsibility by the police.
