"Blunt force injuries of head and neck due...."

The use of aluminium scrap in our remelt facilities has grown exponentially over the past decade. With this expansion has come numerous small companies entering the marketplace trying to provide the ever growing demand for aluminium scrap. It is these small companies that provide a valuable service to so many in our industry. Unfortunately, many of these small independent scrap companies do not have the resources to fund a safety department that many of us are so custom too. We are not making excuses, but sharing the stark reality. The Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries does a great job in promoting safety in the scrap industry. Many in our industry have taken it upon themselves to assist these smaller companies (willing or not) with safety audits that have resulted in not only the scrap workers being safer but our industry too. Here is a recent story;   

The decedent was a married, 63-year-old, male who resided in California, USA. One day during the week of July 14, 2015 he was working at a scrap yard in. He was removing pieces of aluminum from a large pile of scrap metal, when a large piece of metal fell from the top of the pile and struck the decedent in the back of the head. Another coworker witnessed the incident and immediately responded to the decedent. The coworker rolled the decedent over and noticed he was unresponsive. A 9-1-1 call was placed and when paramedics arrived, they initiated advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). Despite resuscitative efforts, he could not be revived and his death was pronounced at the scene. 

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog offers our sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s family, friends and coworkers. Though this incident occurred in a scrap yard, it could easily have occurred in a receiving yard of an aluminium company. We have toured many facilities who accept aluminum scrap and are always amazed on how much can be stored in such a small space. The APSB has posted incidents before where scrap, sows etc. have fallen on top of nearby workers. This incidents reinforce the importance of following stacking guidelines that your company has established.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) is a great resource regarding safety recommendations involving the receiving and storage of scrap. Here is an interesting document titled “Bale Stacking Guide”, it can be downloaded here.

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