"three of his fingers were reattached...."

The importance of machine guarding should go without saying. Here is a recent incident that resulted in poor machine guarding.

A (city in Oceania) aluminium window and door manufacturer has been fined after an employee’s four fingers were sawn off by a rotating blade.

The worker was using an electric saw to cut lengths of aluminium at a factory in (location omitted) when the accident occurred in November 2020.

While using the saw, the man held the sheets of aluminium steady with his hand.

After making a cut into one of the sheets, (Government safety organization) said the worker began lifting the saw with his right hand “but not enough for the retractable guard to have moved fully back over the rotating blade”.

At the same time, the worker also reached underneath the saw with his left hand, making contact with the rotating blade and amputating four of his fingers.

The man was taken to hospital where three of his fingers were reattached.

A (Government safety organization) investigation found, even though the saw was fitted with a clamping system to hold the sheets in place, it had “become common practice” for workers not to use the clamps. 

(the company) pleaded guilty in (town name omitted) Magistrates Court last Thursday to a single charge of failing to provide or maintain a safe working environment.

The court heard it would have been feasible for the company to have “provided a system of work” that required employees to use the clamps to secure aluminium sheets in place while using the saw.

The company also could have provided training to workers on how to use the clamps and shims.

Though this incident happened three years ago, the court case just occurred. Regardless, if it occurred last week or years ago. We pray that the worker was provided with medical and mental health counseling to survive this ordeal. As we have sadly said before amputations hit us at the APSB close to home as loved one had a workplace amputation.

Light Metal Age magazine and Aluminium Times Magazines had articles on both amputations and machine guarding. These articles can be found here:

 

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