Ever think how it would be to lose a hand or a finger on the job? I don’t even want to go there. But it happens. And it did.
In July of last year, two employees at Bay Fabrication Inc. were injured just 9 days apart. On July 21st 2016, the first employee had his left hand crushed in a machine which was not guarded properly. The other employee had part of his middle finger amputated, again from an improperly guarded mold machine, just nine days later on July 30th.
Needless to say, Bay Family Companies is facing huge penalties from OSHA. In the citation which was issued on January 30th 2017, eight violations were issued and a total of $212,242.00 fined.
The citation, which is 15 pages long, goes on to describe the exact nature of the violations, precisely which machine was used, and specifically which machine parts were exposed. And obviously, failure to utilize lockout/tagout device application is among those violations.
Can you say that lockout/tagout is the most overlooked safety precaution? Well it definitely made it onto the “Top 10 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Standards Violated in FY2016”. The comprehensive list can be found on US Department of Labor’s website, here.
Don’t be a statistic! Stay safe and get those lockout/tagout devices on your machines.
Wishes for a safe winter,
The Gorvex.com Team
