It was a Tuesday afternoon on a construction site where exterior renovations were being made to a facility. An onsite worker named Joe grabbed a nearby grinder as he routinely did, to cut a notch on a steel beam, a task that he’s done thousands of times. However, on this fateful day, the grinder kicked back and the blade drove straight into the inside of Joe’s knee.
However, on this fateful day, the grinder kicked back and the blade drove straight into the inside of Joe’s knee.
The Response
The project site supervisor, Tom, jumped into action and got Joe the medical attention he needed and Joe was taken to the hospital. When their safety director, Mike, arrived on scene, the crew was noticeably shaken up and there was blood everywhere. Mike immediately began interviewing the crew and investigating the scene to uncover how a routine task could have resulted in such a disaster.
What the Investigation Revealed
Mike inspected the grinder Joe was using thoroughly and noticed that it was missing a handle. And after speaking with the operations manager, he came to discover that there was a bucket full of removed handles from all of their grinders. The operations manager explained that the handle got in the way of doing their work, so it was removed from a lot of the equipment.
And after speaking with the operations manager, he came to discover that there was a bucket full of removed handles from all of their grinders.
Joe ended up needing 13 stiches and was put on light duty for 3 months due to the injury, which greatly limited what he could do on the construction site.
Lessons Learned
Within a day of the accident investigation being completed, Mike implemented a new tools policy that required new handles to be put back on all equipment effective immediately. If the handle had been in place the day of the incident, Joe would have had more control of the tool and he wouldn’t have cut himself.
All tools shall be used with the correct shield, guard, or attachment recommended by the manufacturer.
OSHA Standard 1926.302(e)(11) in the Safety and Health Regulations for Construction state: All tools shall be used with the correct shield, guard, or attachment recommended by the manufacturer.
Safety Reminders:
- Use all shields, guards, and attachments, to include tool handles as recommended by the manufacturer.
- Always have a qualified supervisor overseeing construction activities from start to finish.
- If an injury or accident does occur onsite, complete a thorough accident investigation by an experienced safety professional.
- Perform 3rd-party safety audits of your site or facility to identify hidden safety hazards by an experienced safety professional.
Are You Guilty of Modifying Equipment?
I think we can all admit we’ve been guilty of modifying tools outside of the manufacturer’s recommendations for some reason or another and there’s always a level of risk associated with it. Contact us to perform a safety audit on your facility or if you have any safety questions/concerns.