"He somehow got pinned with the robot that comes into the machine.. "

The proliferation of robots in our industry has been gradual. From performing the simplest of tasks to now robots commonly handle dangerous jobs. Whenever robots and humans share a common workspace, worker safety is vital. Here is a recent incident that emphasizes the need for the segregation of humans and robots in our industry.

An employee of aluminium foundry in the Midwest United States was stable yet still in critical condition after being pinned under a piece of machinery in the foundry portion of the machine and casting facility one day during the week of June 1, 2015.

The injured worker remains at a hospital, where he had yet to gain consciousness.

 “Doctors are saying this isn’t abnormal, and that it best to let him rest in that state,” said A consultant/project manager for the foundry. “He has good circulation, and things are looking normal or as best as can be expected after experiencing such a traumatic event.”

The local fire department responded to foundry, located at, on the report of a male who had been pinned in a machine. Air medical services had also been requested while the local ems was en route, according to the local Fire Marshal.

When the local ems crews arrived, the worker had been removed from the machine, but was unconscious and in cardiac arrest. The consultant/project manager for the foundry was on scene and began performing CPR.

Local fire department personnel began advanced life-saving measures and were successful in getting the return of a pulse.

The injured worker was then transported via ambulance to a nearby hospital and then to another hospital for specialized care. The decision was made to transport the injured worker by ground due to the extended wait time for air medical, according to the local fire marshall.

The consultant/project manager for the foundry said the incident left the workforce shaken and CEO of the foundry emotionally distraught. While many practice CPR and other various safety measures, having to employ them is another thing.

“Needless to say, we panicked and called immediately for help,” said consultant/project manager for the foundry. “We were able to get him freed from the machine and the paramedics re-established his vital signs before taking him to the ER.”

He said they were not quite sure what happened and planned to do their own investigating.

“He  somehow got pinned with the robot that comes into the machine to take stuff in and out. He was working, and then someone noticed he was in the machine,” said the consultant/project manager for the foundry. “We don’t know if anything went wrong with the machine yet, or if it was just a mishap and he got pinned.”

The worker is believed to have been employed there for several years. The foundry CEO spent the day with the injured worker’s family. “It’s been a day of a fair amount of emotional distress,” said the consultant/project manager for the foundry. “We all feel helpless.”

Once the scene was cleared, the consultant/project manager for the foundry said he gathered employees to talk about the incident. When he felt all were OK emotionally, he elected to send then home.

“We decided to shut down for the balance of the day,” he said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was immediately notified of the incident and had begun an on-site investigation Tuesday. The consultant/project manager for the foundry said the OSHA representative was becoming acquainted with the machine and procedures the following day, and plans to be at the foundry today to follow up with employees.

The machine involved in the incident is essential to production there but the downtime shouldn’t seriously impact production, the consultant/project manager for the foundry added.

Operations were expected to resume as normal today. The consultant/project manager for the foundry said that the foundry places a strong emphasis on safety and has had successful visits by OSHA to the machine shop in the past. He added that the incident will prompt them to review all safety aspects once again.

The consultant/project manager for the foundry also commended the local fire department for helping save the worker’s life.

____________A later news media article________________

The employee who was pinned under a piece of machinery in the foundry portion of the machine and casting facility of the company in the Midwest United States one day during the week of June 1, 2015 has died.

The worker passed peacefully around one morning surrounded by his family, according to a post by his mother on his CaringBridge page. The deceased was at Hospital approximately 115 kilometers from the foundry, where he had yet to gain consciousness following the incident.

A local fire department responded to foundry, on the report of a male who had been pinned in a machine early one morning during the week of May 26, 2015.

When the ems crews arrived, the worker had been removed from the machine, but was unconscious and in cardiac arrest. A person (good samaritan) working as a consultant/project manager for the foundry, had been performing CPR.

The local ems personnel began advanced life-saving measures and were successful in getting the return of a pulse. The injured worker was then transported via ambulance to a local hospital and then to another hospital.

The good samaritan said the incident was traumatic and caused “a fair amount of emotional distress. We all feel helpless,” he added.

Employees were sent home for the day, while CEO of the foundry spent the day with the injured worker’s family. Word of the incident spread and the community immediately began sending prayers via Facebook posts to the family. Several businesses also painted their windows and updated signs with the words “hope for (name removed).”

The following day, the family started the CaringBridge page and wrote their first journal entry entitled “waiting.” From there a handful of posts gave updates on son’s status.

“MRI and EEG done today. Another EEG scheduled for Monday,” reads another journal entry. “MRI was able to confirm extensive damage for the period of time he was without pulse. At this time we support him hoping that we see a miracle.”

The family also thanked everyone for the prayers, and kindly asked for more. A day later, they wrote, “No changes seen yet in (their son) today, but we want everyone to know how much we appreciate all of the posts and prayers. Please keep them coming! We are comforted knowing how much support is out there.”

On the following evening, news grew more grim as they posted that the results of an EEG test showed reduced brain activity.

“The chance for a miracle has passed,” they wrote.

The update solicited more than 125 prayers, words of concern and hope from family, friends and even strangers on CaringBridge. Many also posted condolences on Facebook.

The foundry ceo voiced his condolences to the deceased worker’s family, his friends and co-workers the following day.

“We are all greatly saddened with this loss,” he said. “He was a fantastic employee, and always went above and beyond. And he always did it with a smile on his face.”

He and his brother, have been working there since they were 16.

“They are like family,” said CEO of the foundry. “They are family.” To the deceased worker, foundry was more than a job, according to his obituary. “It was his second family, and he was very proud to be an employee,” it reads. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was immediately notified of the incident and has conducted an on-site investigation. The CEO of the foundry said that the investigation is still ongoing. Operations resumed the day following the incident. Production was not anticipated to be affected. Foundry employees are taking it one day at a time, said the ceo. They’ve held a few employee meetings and counseling sessions. “They are doing well, under the circumstances,” he added.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog offers our sincere condolences to the deceased workers family, friends, and coworkers. We cannot imagine the unimaginable grief that they feel for the loss of their loved one. We pray overtime that they remember the life their loved one lived, and not how he died.

We also sincerely apologize if this post brings more sorrow to the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers. It is not our intention to deliver more pain to you. We just feel that this incident can be used to teach and hopefully prevent an incident such as this from recurring.

To the reader, the APSB prays that if your facility has robots that allow for a worker to enter the robot’s working envelope that you will perform a risk assessment. It is the recommendation of the APSB that no workers be allowed for any reason inside the robot’s working envelope without prior lockout/tagout (safe isolation) procedures being performed.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration has some useful safety information regarding the interaction of robots and humans which can be found here.

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