Watch yourself out there this time of year

Leaves can be very, very dangerous.

Last week we were working on a straightforward lot and block type job in a part of town that has deteriorated horribly over the past few decades. Several of the lots have had the old homes demolished, resulting in naked tracts. In each naked lot was a white, 4" plastic pipe sticking up a couple of feet where the sewer line had been chopped. On Monday I observed that there was a problem by one of these pipes that had created a ragged hole in the soil roughly 30 inches in diameter and 30 inches deep. I pointed this out to my coworker to make sure he didn't go anywhere near it. On Friday I observed that every leaf from every tree on the block had somehow relocated to the area immediately around this specific piece of pipe. The hole was completely filled and in places the leaves appeared to be several inches deep above ground level. Anyone strolling by might have stepped onto the leaves and immediately felt their body plummeting most of 30 inches straight down. Leg and other injuries would almost definitely occur in a flash. I once had such an experience while surveying some lake lots in November. It was impossible to see ditches beneath the billion individual leaves. I was very fortunate that day, but I have never been careless around leaves ever since.