"serious injuries after being struck by a puller machine..."

Incidents involving the “unjamming” of machinery and equipment result in countless injuries and fatalities every year. Here is a recent story emphasizing the importance of training workers on how to safely unjam machinery or equipment.

An employee working at (company name omitted) aluminum extrusion facility in (location omitted) was hospitalized with serious injuries after being struck by a puller machine while trying to unjam a piece of aluminum.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the December 2021, incident and determined 6-foot chain-link safety guards were not affixed  around the 8-inch extrusion press line to prevent workers from coming in contact with the puller. Additionally, the press line was not locked out to prevent unintentional machine movement during service and maintenance, and the employer failed to train workers on machine safety procedures.

OSHA cited the company for one serious and two repeated violations and proposed penalties in excess of $150,000. The company was cited for similar machine safety violations eight times between 2012 and 2019.

“Machine guards are designed to protect workers from suffering serious injuries, but they are only effective when used properly,” said OSHA’s local Area Director. “OSHA will hold this company and others accountable for failing to comply with safety and health regulations put in place to prevent worker injuries.”

We pray that the injured worker recovered fully from their injuries. We have sadly reported on numerous incidents involving “pullers” in the extrusion industry. The concern is that when in operation the machinery cannot tell if a worker or aluminium is being pulled. Workers need to be trained on the safe and proper method of unjamming a puller on an extrusion press. Who can teach them? The operating manual should cover this topic. If it does not, a call into the extrusion manufacturer is recommended.

Lockout tagout or safe isolation is needed when dealing with “jammed” material. Aluminium Times Magazine had an article on the lockout tagout or safe isolation. It can be downloaded here.

 

 

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