Worker's leg is amputated, another worker badly burned in explosion....

The segregating of employees away from machinery in our industry can be achieved in several ways. Either through the initial design and construction of a plant or through retrofitting. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has a recent story emphasizing the need to keep workers away from operating machinery.

The employees were at work when the explosion rattled the plant and sparked a fire. The two victims were very close to the cooler.

Two workers suffered serious injuries following an explosion in an engine cooler at an aluminum extrusion factory located in United Arab Emirates one morning during the week of September 21, 2014.

One of the legs of the victim had to be amputated because of severe burns and injuries while the second labourer suffered burns all over his body.

The director of the local General Police Centre, said they were notified about the accident around 10.30am. The employees were at work when the explosion rattled the plant and sparked a fire. The two victims were very close to the cooler.

Police, Civil Defence and ambulance teams arrived shortly. The two injured workers were rushed to a local hospital while the Civil Defence team fought the blaze. The factory was evacuated and the area was cordoned off to ensure the safety of other labourers.

The cause of the explosion is yet to be determined.

The director of the local General Police Centre urged factory owners to make sure that the employees are protected at work by abiding by the safety rules and regulations.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog prays for a quick recovery for both workers. We hope the worker whose leg was amputated will be given all the necessary assistance to rehabilitate (both physically and mentally) and lead a productive life in the future. The psychological challenges that lie ahead for this worker every day may seem insurmountable. The article “The Psychology of Losing a Limb” addresses many of the issues that this worker will face (click here). The APSB will pray that this worker is able to overcome the multitude of challenges that he will face in the future.

The other worker who received severe burns from the explosion too will face a long road of recovery (both physical and mental). The APSB hopes the worker will be will be given all the necessary assistance to recover and rehabilitate (both physically and mentally) and lead a productive life in the future. The challenges that lie ahead for any individual with severe burns covering their body are too numerous to list.

The media story provided little information regarding where the workers were when the explosion occurred. Workers should not be allowed to gather or congregate near any operating piece of machinery. The APSB has seen numerous rest/break areas that are located in hazardous areas because of nearby operating machinery. Such as, dust collectors which should always be located outside of a building should have a fence built around the perimeter to prevent workers from being too close.

Take a look around your plant; where do your coworkers congregate during break time. Is there any nearby machinery that is operating? If you answer yes, then you need to question the safety of the workers if an incident occurs.

Lastly, the two workers who were injured received burns to varying degrees. The APBS assumes both workers’ clothes were not flame resistant. All employees no matter their exact workplace in a plant should wear flame resistant clothing. The APSB has posted incident after incident where workers’ burns suffered were more severe when clothing had caught on fire.

Please comment.