Worker crushed to death at aluminium extrusion plant....

In our industry there are a wide variety of machinery that are operated by individual workers. Without proper machine guarding the machinery operators would be at risk for injury or death. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has a recent story emphasizing the need for continued education on machinery guarding. Here is the story.

A worker at an aluminium extrusion company in North America was killed when he was crushed in an aluminum press he was operating one evening during the week of August 3rd, 2014.

The president of the aluminium extrusion company, said in an email, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.” He said he could not comment further.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation into the accident to determine whether the aluminium extrusion company was following all safety procedures, said OSHA spokesman.

Two investigators are interviewing potential witnesses and talking to employees and company officials regarding safety measures in place at the time of the incident, OSHA spokesman said.

OSHA spokesman noted that OSHA has conducted previous investigations at the aluminium extrusion company. Two times over the past 8 years the company was cited for machine-guard violations, OSHA spokesman said.

The worker was transported to a local hospital by ambulance. The local County Coroner’s Office is conducting an investigation, but no information was available the following afternoon, a spokesperson said.

The aluminium extrusion company produces aluminum extrusions in various standard shapes and custom designs in several grades of aluminum alloys and tempers, according to its website.

Here’s another media story of this incident.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says a local company that was the scene of an apparent accident that claimed the life of an employee has been cited for safety violations in the past. A worker died one evening during the week August 3rd, 2014 following an incident at an aluminium extrusion company.

Dispatchers were told that a man who sustained a head injury from a piece of machinery was not moving.

The victim was transported to a local hospital. OSHA had two investigators questioning potential witnesses and company managers Wednesday morning.

OSHA spokesperson tells the news media that the aluminum extrusion company was cited twice over the past 8 years for having inadequate protection on machinery, and  for failing to have a guard on machinery.

The aluminium extrusion company Human Resources Manager said that their thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim. The aluminium extrusion company Human Resources Manager also said that the company is cooperating fully with the OSHA investigation into the accident.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog offers our sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers. The APSB hopes that counseling is offered to the family and coworkers while they deal with the pain of loss that overtime may decrease but will never go away.

Our industry is not unlike other industries that are made up with new and older plants. The new plants have the latest equipment with current safety precautions. Unfortunately, the older plants have equipment which in some cases their safety mechanisms have not been upgraded to the current standards. It is recommended that no matter the age of your machinery that the appropriate guarding be installed to protect the operator(s).

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration has some useful information about machinery guarding (here).

The Health & Safety Executive has an interesting article on inadequate safety guards on machinery, which can be found here.

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