When government enforces pertinent safety laws it takes time. Sometimes that time, years. Here is a recent story of a court case from an incident three years ago.
- Worker trapped for more than 20 minutes before he was
freed
- The man, in his 40s, has been unable to return to work
A manufacturer of rolled
aluminium products has been fined 245,000 Euros after a worker was crushed
under a 1.5-tonne hydraulic arm at its site in (location name omitted).
The man, in his early 40s,
was working underneath the arm when it failed, resulting in life-changing crush
injuries. He had been working for (aluminium company) at its site in the town
when the incident happened on 10 May 2023.
He had been carrying out
preparation work for the casting of aluminium blocks from molten aluminium. He
was kneeling inside a casting mould, wearing heat resistant clothing, to insert
ceramic string around its edges. The hydraulic launder arm above the mould,
which is used to transport molten metal around the foundry, suddenly fell onto
him. It is believed the exterior temperature of the launder arm was around
100°C.
The falling arm crushed him
and narrowly missed another worker.
The man was trapped for
three minutes before the floor of the mould was lowered to release the
pressure. However, it was a further 19 minutes before the hydraulic arm could
be lifted to allow recovery.
The incident and the
injuries sustained by the individual have had a dramatic impact on his
day-to-day life and he has not been able to return to work. An investigation by the governmental
safety organizations found that the arm fell as a result of hydraulic failure.
While there was a safety bar intended to prevent the arm from falling, it was
not fit for purpose. (aluminium company name omitted) had not assessed the
risks of the hydraulic arm falling and therefore failed to implement a suitable
safe system of work to prevent employees from working beneath it.
The law requires employers
to assess the risks to which their employees are exposed at work, and to
implement suitable control measures to reduce the risk of harm. This includes
ensuring that work equipment is fit for purpose and adequately maintained. (gov’t
safety organization) guidance explains.
The aluminium company,
pleaded guilty breaching (the pertinent safety laws and was fined and ordered
to pay court costs.).
The governmental said:
“This was a serious incident that should never have happened.
“The company subsequently
implemented simple control measures to prevent it from re-occurring. The
process of placing the ceramic string in the moulds is now carried out with the
hydraulic arm in the lowered position, and people are restricted from walking
under the it when it is raised.
“If these measures had been
in place at the time, then this incident would not have happened.”
The news article did not state the injuries the worker suffered. We assume the worker was seriously injured. We pray that the injured worker recovers fully both physically and mentally. As well we hope the aluminium company has provided both occupational and mental health counseling.
Regarding the
incident, the failure of hydraulic cylinders is a rare occurrence, but the APSB
has posted
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