Real Life Safety - Amputation
August 7, 2008
Source: Various Kansas City News Reports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City worker is recovering this morning after getting his hand stuck in a press Wednesday night. The incident happened just before midnight at Arrowhead Containers at 4330 Clary Boulevard. Arrowhead Containers makes corrugated containers and products.
Emergency crews rushed to a shipping container company late Wednesday night after a worker got stuck in a printing press. Medics said they had to amputate the man's arm below the elbow. It took paramedics about an hour to get the man removed from the machine. The man was taken to an area hospital and is expected to recover.
The facility’s general manager says three employees were cleaning up at the end of the night shift when one of the workers' hand got caught. No one else was hurt.
The following news report from last week continues to demonstrate that bad things happen when we go near moving equipment. From the reports it appears that several employees were cleaning up the machine. Although the specifics are not yet detailed, the importance of LOTO is evident. Personal locks on energized equipment prevent such things from occurring.
It's terrible to think about being the paramedic who had to make the decision to amputate the man's arm. It's worse to think about being the man.