"The employee died following an accident involving heavy machinery..."

 

In our opinion the most dangerous hazard in our industry is moveable equipment. It is one of the few hazards that can be located in one area and a moment later be located in another area. Here is a recent incident highlighting the hazard of moveable equipment.

A worker died earlier today in a work-related accident at an (aluminium remelt) plant in the United State. (Local) County Coroner said the incident happened at (company name omitted) one morning during the week of September 26, 2021.

The employee died following an accident involving heavy machinery.

Local police are investigating the incident, (local) County Coroner said. The worker’s identity has not yet been released, pending notification of the family.

We offer our sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers. We are at loss now and as always on what to write. We fall back upon praying and knowing that we will use this tragedy to prevent a recurrence.

In our industry moveable equipment comes in all sizes and types. Including, worker’s vehicles, trucks, etc. Anything that can move within the aluminium factory’s property is a potential hazard. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted incidents covering almost every type of incident. Though we do not know at this time what type of vehicle was involved in the tragedy. We can assume it was either a forklift truck, or a truck delivering or picking material up. We will update this post when more information is brought forth.

Here are our rules when walking in an aluminium plant. Always, keep looking around for moveable equipment. One never knows where or when they will come by. Never, ever walk behind a moveable equipment.  Never assume that the operator can see you. If you have to walk in front of a vehicle raise your arm (like you were asking a question in class) and wave your hand. We know this sounds silly but we have done this for over decade. Never ever walk while texting. Stop, and stand near an immovable object. We like to stop by a building column. We will add more to this list in the near future.

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