Quarry operative fractures finger tip
ACTIVITY:
MAINTENANCE & HOUSEKEEPING
TITLE
Quarry operative fractures finger tip
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
WHAT HAPPENED
A quarry operative fractured the tip of his finger whilst carrying out routine planned maintenance. The work, which involved changing wedge belts on the drive pulley of a cone crusher, was scheduled to take place during a maintenance shutdown period and involved experienced staff.
The operatives were following the prescribed “safe system of work” and had fully isolated the crusher. Whilst rolling on the 5th of 8 new wedge belts onto the pulley, the operative’s hand and glove were “nipped” and drawn in between the wedge belt and pulley groove by the forward momentum of the pulley. The operative’s finger was quickly released by reversing the rotation of the pulley, but it was later confirmed in hospital that he had fractured the bone in his fingertip.
ACCIDENT / INCIDENT IMAGES
LEARNING POINTS / ACTIONS TAKEN
Whilst a full investigation is ongoing, the following precautions should be considered in order to prevent a recurrence:
- Ensure safe systems of work stress the requirement for adjustable pulleys to be released sufficiently when wedge belts are being replaced so that there is no tension on the new/tighter belts.
- Maintain electric motor slides or other tensioning mechanisms, so as to allow easy adjustment when required.
- When carrying out maintenance ensure that the most appropriate type of gloves are used and, where there is a risk of entanglement, avoid loose clothing. Employees should be involved in the selection of gloves to ensure that they provide the correct protection for the workplace hazards, fit well and allow the necessary manual dexterity.
LEARNING POINTS / ACTIONS IMAGES
Click image to enlarge
ACTIVITY:
MAINTENANCE & HOUSEKEEPING
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