"53 workers (have been) injured by the tool"

The use of hand power tools in our industry is common place. The variety and duration of use depends on the individual job function. Regardless of the duration of use the hazard associated with each hand power tool is still present. Here is a recent story emphasizing the importance of hand power tool safety.

Since 2011, dozens of workers at a ship manufacturing plant in North America have been maimed by a dangerous cutting tool that management had referred to as the "widow maker."

Between January 2011 and March 2015, over 50 workers were injured by the tool, suffering gashes to face, neck and arms, while some even lost fingers, according to ship manufacturing plant’s injury logs obtained.

The ship yard workers on the manufacturing side of the business raised concerns to health and safety officials at the company in March 2011, saying that workers had complained about the cutting tool, calling it "unsafe" and warning that "someone is going to get hurt."

The tool, originally a grinding device was designed to cut through (aluminium) metal in straight lines, but the shipyard swapped out the original discs for saw blade-style discs that are faster and can carve around edges.

The operating manuals that come with the tool specifically warn against using saw blades, stating in the operating manual that "such blades create kickback and loss of control."

One worker that lost a finger in February 2014 from using the modified cutting tool, stated that it was the most "dangerous tool that I have ever put in my hands," while adding that the accident had left him depressed and still in extreme pain.  

Another shipyard worker, who ultimately had a finger amputated after severing the bone in his finger from using the tool, said that he had asked managers to give him a safer version of the cutter, but was ignored. "It's fast, it's cheap and it's available," said the employee on why shipyard wouldn't get safer tools. "They're just about 'get the boat out, get it done.'"

Despite $60,000 in fines and penalties handed down by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for exposing workers to "to amputations, severe lacerations, and other injuries," around a quarter of the 4,000-strong workforce at the shipyard might still be using the tool today, according to shipyard workers. 

"The government expects that contractors, such as (this shipyard), should not only deliver a good product, but also conduct operations in a safe manner," OSHA's area director said when he announced fines against the company in 2014. The shipyard has appealed the fines and penalties.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog prays that each of the injured workers heal to the best of their ability. We have heard of other incidents involving hand powertools or machinery where repeated injuries occur. We are sadden about every injury and/or fatality that we write about. But have to question why a company would allow a piece of equipment to be used when the severity of injuries appear to be worsening. 

We have met many workers who have lost a finger(s) in a workplace incidents. We know relatives who have lost fingers in workplace incidents. Due to the location of the injuries the injured are constantly reminded of the incident every day for the rest of their lives.

Our goal is by bringing awareness to these incidents we can prevent recurrence. In our opinion the workers operating the cutting wheel are being injured for the following reasons including but not limited to: poor training, unauthorized modifications to the power tool, fatigue, etc. Each of those possible reasons can be corrected.

The unauthorized modifications stated above refer to the allegation that the shipyard change the type of cutting blades against the manufacturer’s recommendations. We pray that the shipyard will realize that the cost of doing business is expensive in terms of worker’s being injured with this specific power hand tool. All too often on our plant tours we will observe “unauthorized modifications” to equipment. We politely ask our hosts if they have asked for permission from the manufacturer to alter the machinery/equipment. The answer is almost always “no”. We then explain to our host that the company’s liability when (not if) an incident occurs will fall solely on their shoulders and not the manufacturer. The APSB recommends consulting with the original equipment manufacturer when considering altering any equipment.

Regarding training we would recommend consulting with the power hand tool manufacturer of questions arise on performing a specific job function. One can easily video record a specific job function and send it to the equipment manufacturer for comment.

Fatigue when operating power hand tools is commonplace and can be exasperated in hot temperatures. To further complicate a difficult situation is the fact that every worker is different in terms of physical ability.

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