AUGUST 2012
OSHA Update: Monitor Workers Clothing, Jewelry
One morning at a Nebraska meat-packing facility,
a worker was operating a conveyor belt as part of
his ordinary routine. But the worker got some loose
clothing caught in some moving parts. The clothing
wrapped around the gears, and tightened around
the worker’s neck. The worker asphyxiated to death
as a result.
Not only did the company lose a valued employee that’s bad enough all by itself - but they had to pay
a hefty $195,100 fine on top of that.
Specifically, investigators from the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration found two willful
violations involving the fatal machinery:
l
Inadequate guard procedures and policies
l
Inadequate lockout/tagout procedures.
Additionally, OSHA investigators found nine serious
violations in and around the plant, including these
possibly contributory failures:
l
The company failed to train workers on
protecting themselves from hazards associated
with loose clothing around moving equipment.
l
The company failed to conduct periodic
inspections of energy control procedures.
l
The company failed to properly train workers in
energy control procedures.
Tragically, this isn’t an isolated incident:
Kyle Wene was an employee working at a conveyor
belt at Green 46 Recycling in Rochester, Wisconsin,
in February of 2011. The conveyor belt machinery
snagged on his loose clothing (it was cold in
Wisconsin in February), and he was choked to
death.
In a separate incident, Glen Pullins, 53, was working
at Power Belt Machinery in Center, Colorado, was
killed when machinery snagged his coat sleeve and
pulled him into the gears by his arm. He was dead
by the time other workers could free him.
More: A car wash employee in Massachusetts,
Stephanie Carpus, was very nearly killed when
she walked through the car washing facility to get
change in February 2009. The spinning scrubber
brush snagged her scarf and strangled her. Only an
alert customer, John A. O’Leary of Southampton,
who leapt from his car while the car was still in the
wash facility, cut her free with a pocket knife, and
performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her
saved her life.
In each case, the combination of powerful
machinery and loose clothing proved deadly
serious. Cold weather was also a factor in at least
Woodland Falls Corporate Park
220 Lake Drive East, Suite 210, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
(P) 856-482-9900 • (F) 856-482-1888 • Email: lfunari@mcintyre-group.com
continued on page 2
Luanne Funari
Vice President,
Director of Claims Management
AUGUST 2012
continued from page 1 ... OSHA Update: Monitor Workers Clothing, Jewelry
two of these three cases, but loose clothing can
prove hazardous at any time.
guard safety
l
Enforce the use of guards and lockout/tagout
policies.
l
Here are some steps you can take to protect your
workers and your company:
Remember, gold is an excellent conductor of
electricity. A loose gold chain could possibly
touch a live wire and complete a circuit - with
your worker in the middle.
l
Write a written dress code, include it in your
employee handbook, and ensure it’s enforced.
Empower all workers to halt work and notify
supervisors if they identify a hazardous condition.
l
Schedule an extra training session when the
weather turns cold.
l
Document your training effort in writing.
Protect Your Workers - Protect Yourself
It’s better to pay a fine than lose an employee. And
it’s better to proactively address the hazard and
prevent an accident than to do either.
l
l
Insist workers tuck in clothing and tie shoe
or bootlaces, as appropriate. Bootlaces are
strong, and they can get caught in wheels,
axles and other machinery, or cause simple trip
and fall accidents that are hazardous in and of
themselves.
l
Consider imposing the use of overalls.
l
Consider issuing a workplace uniform, so that all
workers are conforming to a safe standard, easily
recognizable from a distance.
l
Insist that long hair be trimmed, tied or kept
under a hat.
l
Prohibit the wearing of bracelets, necklaces and
chains.
l
Provide training on power management and
As always, management and executives should take
an active role in monitoring workfloor conditions,
and hold middle managers accountable to identify
and correct safety hazards. Appoint a senior,
experienced manager to direct your company’s
safety and OSHA compliance effort.
This shouldn’t be sloughed off on a junior staffer,
but entrusted to an experienced and respected
member of the management team - one who is
frequently out in work areas and who is seasoned
enough to be proactive and command cooperation
from other workers. If your shop is a union shop,
this should be a joint effort between union and
management representatives.
Woodland Falls Corporate Park
220 Lake Drive East, Suite 210, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
(P) 856-482-9900 • (F) 856-482-1888 • Email: lfunari@mcintyre-group.com
Luanne Funari
Vice President,
Director of Claims Management