The Aluminium Plant
Safety Blog has posted incidents where workers were servicing or maintaining
machines or equipment were seriously injured or killed when the hazardous
energy was not properly controlled.
Many instances involving lock out tag out occur when stored energy
is unexpectedly released injuring or killing a worker. Some workers will place/insert
a “block” or customized fabrication to be a final stop gap measure when
maintaining the machinery. Though this step has been recommended previously by
the APSB in response to a series of incidents where a block may have prevented
an injury or fatality. Here is a recent incident on what can occur if the “block”
or customized fabrication is left in the machinery prior to production.
Deputies
say a worker was killed last week after a block was left in a machine at a
machinery company in the Northeast USA during the week of December 1, 2016.
The Sheriff's
Office says the block was placed in the 200 ton press to keep it from running
while maintenance was performed.
But,
the block was not removed when the machine turned on and deputies say shrapnel
from the block hit and killed a worker.
OSHA
is investigating the incident, but say the machinery company has not been cited
for any issues in the last five years.
The APSB offers our sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s
family, friends and coworkers. Though it provides little solace we pray that
those who knew the deceased will remember how he lived and not how he died.
We pray that the worker(s) that left the block in the machinery are
offered mental health counseling. We have spoken to workers who correctly or
incorrectly place blame upon themselves for the injury or death of a
coworker(s). The pain that is associated with this self-blame is over whelming
too many. Nor does the pain cease. That pain not only affects the individual
worker but spreads and affects their families too.
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