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Arm Amputated at Industrial Food Plant

Random Lake, WI – A Lakeside Foods employee had her arm amputated above the elbow Monday in an industrial accident at the Wisconsin food packager. The 30-year-old victim was taken by Fight for Life to Froedert Hospital.

OSHA has several standards in place to control amputation hazards in American workplaces. Approximately 3 million workers service equipment and these employees face the greatest risk of injury on the job. OSHA states that “Safeguarding is essential for protecting employees from needless and preventable injury. A good rule to remember is: Any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded.”

Safeguards that control amputation hazards include machine guarding, lockout/tagout procedures and programs, application of ring guards, and installation of audio or visual awareness devices, among others.

According to OSHA, “a hazardous energy control program is a critical part of an overall strategy to prevent workplace amputations during machine servicing and maintenance activities, such as during the setting up of machines for production purposes, bypassing guards to clear jams or lubricate parts, and inspecting, adjusting, replacing, or otherwise servicing machine parts. Machine amputations occur when an employer does not have or fails to implement practices and procedures to disable and control a machine’s energy sources during machine servicing and maintenance work.”

Compliance with federally mandated lockout/tagout standards prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year. Workers injured on the job from exposure to hazardous energy lose an average of 24 workdays for recuperation. In a study conducted by the UAW, 20% of the fatalities that occurred among their members between 1973 and 1995 were attributed specifically to inadequate hazardous energy control procedures.

Lakeside foods produces frozen and canned vegetables at the Random Lake (WI) facility.

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October 12, 2017

Worker Killed in Industrial Machine at Plastics Plant

Helena, AL – An employee of ABC Polymer Industries was killed on the job this month. Eva Saenz, 45, was sucked into an industrial machine after getting caught in the roller at the Alabama plastics factory.

According to Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans, it appeared that Saenz “was working next to the rollers and bent down to cut some of the plastic…with a box cutter and actually got pulled up into the rollers.” Upon their arrival, fire medics determined that the victim was deceased and the Shelby County Coroner’s Office was notified. Coroner Evans said Saenz was pronounced dead at the scene from blunt force injuries incurred in the industrial machinery.

The ABC Polymer Industries factory in Helena (AL) makes extruded polypropylene products including, bulk bags, synthetic snow, fibrillated yarns, and specific fibers for concrete. According to their website, ABC Polymer is one of the largest suppliers in North America of flexible intermediate bulk containers and polypropylene concrete fibers.

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August 22, 2017

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Fourth Death at TN Nissan Vehicle Assembly Plant

Smyrna, TN – November marked the fourth fatal industrial accident at the Nissan Vehicle Assembly Plant in Smyrna (TN). Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) responded to the scene to investigate the incident. Their investigation report is expected to be released within six weeks.

Dennis Pinkston died as a result of head trauma after being crushed in a machine at the Smyrna plant. If you have had a similar experience involving a loved one, then you should consider getting some outsider help concerning a wrongful death.

In case you were not already aware, wrongful death claims are brought against a defendant who has caused someone to die, either through negligence or as a result of some intentional action. Wrongful death claims allow the estate and/or those close to a deceased person to work alongside wrongful death lawyers to file a lawsuit against the party that is considered to be legally liable for the death. Though each state has its own wrongful death laws, these kinds of lawsuits are usually filed by a representative of the estate of the deceased person, often on behalf of surviving family members affected by the death.

If you would like more information about wrongful death lawsuits, there are plenty of places you could look online. One example is https://www.nehoralaw.com/practice-areas/wrongful-death/ but there are many others that you could also consider.

This is the fourth fatal incident at the Smyrna (TN) Nissan Vehicle Assembly Plant in the past five years. In 2013, Nissan maintenance technician Michael Hooper, 43, was involved in a fatal accident in the body assembly area. Later in 2013, a supplier was killed when a large electrical panel fell while it was being moved. In 2012, a contract driver, Martin O’Connell, was killed when he became trapped between his truck and a set of parked trailers.

These incidents are just an example of a few that happen almost every day in factories, warehouses, and construction jobs. Investigations have found that some of these types of incidents can occur due to negligence, lack of health and safety awareness, or due to improper training. When these factors happen within a warehouse or factory setting, it can result in devastating injuries and wrongful deaths, leading to the families of workers seeking the help of law firms similar to Yarborough Applegate (https://www.yarboroughapplegate.com) to file a wrongful death on behalf of the worker.

Ultimately, factory based companies identical to those in this post must raise health and safety awareness within their workforce as well as promote and provide the proper training to their employees to lower the loss of life while at work.

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December 7, 2016

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Worker Killed in Industrial Elevator at Tonawanda Coke

Tonawanda, NY – An employee was killed in an industrial accident at the Tonawanda Coke plant. The accident occurred in an industrial elevator in the plant’s coal-handling section. The local OSHA office has confirmed that an investigation has been opened and that findings will be issued within six months.

Unfortunately, Tonawanda Coke Corp. has had previous health, safety, and environmental violations. In January 2014, an explosion at their River Road plant injured three workers. OSHA criticized Tonawanda Coke for failing to take proper precautions and ensuring its safety systems were working, as well as “additional, preventable hazards” found at the plant. The 2014 explosion was caused by an over-pressured coke oven manifold which released gas in an enclosed area, where it then ignited.

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January 12, 2016

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After Electrical Fire in England, Business Owner says: “We’ve Lost Everything.”

Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, England – An electrical fire in an industrial building in the East Midlands of England has devastated at least three area businesses. Investigators have found the blaze which tore through an industrial estate last week was caused by an electrical fire.

The fire severely damaged the large two-story building which housed six separate units. There were no reports of any injuries. Businesses on the estate included a dry cleaner, steeplejack, and a plastics firm.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service station manager Tom Clark stated: “We can now conclude that the fire was an electrical fire caused by one of the manufacturing processes in the building.” “There were also a couple of gas cylinders involved and there was a kerosene tank of 400 litres which needed protecting in the next building,” a fire spokesman said. Although no one could predict this fire from happening, it could have been prevented if the appropriate electric checks were carried out. Businesses should regularly have all of their electrical appliances and outlets checked and can opt to Learn more about their electrics from their electrician. That way, they can spot any faults and call out an electrician immediately to resolve the issue.

Many Cotgrave residents were out on the streets following the explosion, which sent a black smoke ring into the sky as smoke billowed from the buildings. Fire crews spent several hours tackling the inferno, which destroyed six units at the site.

Ray Hallam, owner of TVR Steeplejacks, saw his livelihood ruined as he surveyed the devastating scene – and said he had lost “literally everything.” The office where the renovations and repairs company was based has been completely gutted by the fire, destroying equipment, files and computers. The 65-year-old, who has run the family business for 15 years, said: “I’ve had to lay people off this morning because of this. I’ve had to contact customers because we’ve lost all our equipment, which was between £50,000 and £100,000-worth. It’s very upsetting.”

Other businesses affected by the blaze include Impressive Ironing and Cleaning Services and taxi firm DJM. Kirsty MacDonald, who set up Impressive four years ago and moved into the industrial site a year ago, said she was heartbroken. The 32-year-old, of Cotgrave, said: “That’s my livelihood gone, people’s jobs gone. We’ve lost everything. I was just in shock. After four years of effort to get it to where it was, for it to come to this was devastating…Everything’s just been blown apart.”

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July 30, 2015

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Seattle Company Fined for Confined Space and LOTO failures

Seattle, WA – Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has cited Industrial Container Services $215,250 for seven failure to abate serious violations related to confined space hazards and for not ensuring that moving parts were de-energized to prevent workers from becoming caught in machinery.

Industrial Container Services refurbishes metal drums and other industrial containers. It operates a “drum shot-blaster unit,” a 24-foot long tunnel with a series of rotating shafts that move metal drums through as they’re being shot-blasted to remove paint and coatings. L&I began its investigation in January 2015 after a worker was hospitalized after being injured while working inside a drum shot-blaster. The worker became entangled in a rotating shaft while working inside the confined space. L&I’s statement said the agency had cited the company previously for many of these hazards, but they had not been corrected.

L&I cited the company for seven failure to abate serious violations related to the confined space hazards and for not ensuring that moving parts were de-energized to prevent workers from becoming caught in machinery – procedures known as Lockout/Tagout.

These violations were originally cited in October 2013 and had not been corrected. Each carries a penalty of $22,750. L&I also cited the company for four repeat-serious violations and four serious violations related to confined space procedures and lockout/tagout, with penalties ranging from $11,700 to $4,550 for these.

“As a result of these safety issues, Industrial Container Solutions has been identified as a severe violator and could be subject to increased scrutiny at all its locations nationwide,” L&I’s announcement stated. It said the company has appealed the citation.

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July 13, 2015

Confined Space Electrical Safety & Arc Flash Industrial Accident Comments are closed admin

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