In this blog is a link to an HSE report of a recent prosecution following a serious industrial accident in which a workers' arm was torn off by an industrial auger or 'corkscrew'.
The inspecting HSE officer stated "this was a terrible, preventable incident...with foreseeable risk".
The story also claims that the worker involved was an experienced fitter who had worked in the industry for 23 years.
Whilst attributing blame is a distasteful process, you have to look for the root cause in order to prevent recurrence. The writer of this blog is not in possession of all the facts however, as is so often the case, blame seems to lie with both employer and employee. And not only the employer of the company where the accident happened but the employer where the victim first started work, 23 years before.
One would hope that an experienced worker would be aware of the possible risks when undertaking work of this nature. We all have varying levels of 'risk assessment' in built. Most of us look both ways before we cross the road. If the employer(s) had provided training and equipment, then responsibility shifts towards the employee, who has a responsibility to use equipment provided for their safety and welfare (just like PPE).
To that end, employers have a duty to 'teach' risk awareness so that we all subconsciously ask ourselves "what's the worse that could happen" before taking on a task. If we don't perceive risk, we wont take preventative measures.
The report explains that inadequate and ineffective isolation measures contributed to the accident. The financial penalties handed down seem small, given the nature of the injury suffered but significantly more than the cost of training and and effective lockout tagout system.
Follow this link to read the report of an industrial accident that could have been avoided with lockout tagout.
It is one of the company/organization's responsibility (although not required) to make sure that their employees are aware of all the hazards at work - what's the best way to do this? Give them the proper training from OSHA and WHMIS certification. It is not really that difficult to locate for places to get them this kind of training because most of them are now available online.
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