CF AR CWC 12/98 Worker fatalities from being caught in machinery 1997


Worker Fatalities from being Caught in Machinery

by Janice A. Windau


Janice A. Windau is an epidemiologist in the Office of Safety, Health
and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Telephone: (202) 606-6175
E-mail: Windau_j@bls.gov

Fatalities resulting from workers being caught in machinery reached a
6-year high in 1997.  Half of the workers were performing
service-related tasks at the time.

In 1997, the overall number of deaths from work-related injuries
(6,218) remained virtually the same as in 1996 (6,202).  In contrast,
deaths caused by workers being caught in machinery increased 29 percent,
to 189. In the period 1992-96, the number of work-related deaths resulting
from the same cause averaged almost 150 a year.(1)  During this same
period, serious nonfatal injuries resulting from workers being caught in
machinery totaled 34,000 and were the leading cause of amputations among
private industry wage and salary workers.  (See table 1.)  This article
profiles these fatalities, describes related hazards, and discusses
some injury prevention methods.(2)


Industry and equipment involved in fatal injuries

Manufacturing is considered relatively safe in terms of fatal work
injuries.  In 1997, it accounted for 12 percent of fatal work injuries,
compared with its 16-percent share of total employment.  Manufacturing is
generally machine-intensive, and it accounted for the largest
portion (41 percent) of the deaths resulting from workers being caught
in operating machinery.  (See table 2.)  In addition, during 1996,
almost 19,000 workers in manufacturing suffered injuries resulting
in lost workdays because of such incidents.

In manufacturing, as well as in other industry divisions, the equipment
associated with fatal injuries included material handling machinery
(such as augers and other conveyors) and forklifts, in addition to
machinery designed to perform specific industry-related tasks.
(See table 3.)  Material handling equipment accounted for about
one-fifth of the worker fatalities in the study.  Workers in
manufacturing were also fatally crushed in debarkers and chippers, as
well as in various mixers, presses, molders, and other metal and
woodworking machines.



TABLE 1. Nonfatal injuries involving days away from work resulting from
workers being caught in machinery, private industry, yearly average, 1992-96

Nature of injury        Number  Percent
----------------------  ------  -------
			
      Total		34,350	100
Cuts, lacerations       11,177   32
Amputations              4,832   14
Fractures                4,376   13
Bruises, contusions      2,920    8
Multiple injuries        2,401    7
    With fractures       1,018    3
    With sprains           191    1
Sprains, strains         1,077    3
Soreness, pain             426    1
All other                7,129   21 
---------------------------------------


Agriculture, on the other hand, is considered relatively dangerous.
In 1997, it accounted for 13 percent of the fatal work injuries, but
comprised only 3 percent of total employment.  Like manufacturing,
agriculture is heavily mechanized.  It accounted for one-fourth of
the fatalities resulting from workers being caught in operating
equipment in 1997.  One-third of these fatalities involved balers,
combines, and other harvesting and threshing machines.  Power
take-off units and driveshafts, used to transmit power from tractors
to other farm machinery, accounted for about one-sixth of the fatalities.


TABLE 2. Worker fatalities from being caught in machinery by selected
industry, 1997

Industry                                    Number   Percent
------------------------------------------- ------   -------

        Total                                  189     100
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing		50	26
    Agricultural production, crops		30	16
    Agricultural production, livestock          12       6
    Agricultural services                        5       3
Mining                                          11       6
Construction                                    17       9
    Heavy construction, except building         10       5
    Special trade contractors                    6       3
Manufacturing                                   78      41
    Food and kindred products                   11       6
    Lumber and wood products                    11       6
    Paper and allied products                    8       4
    Chemicals and allied products                4       2
    Rubber and miscellaneous plastics
      products                                   5       3
    Stone, clay, and glass products              9       5
    Primary metal industries                     9       5
    Fabricated metal products                    8       4
    Industrial machinery and
      equipment                                  7       4
Transportation and public utilities             11       6
    Trucking and warehousing                     3       2
    Electric, gas, and sanitary
      services                                   5       3
        Refuse systems                           5       3
Wholesale trade                                 11       6
   Wholesale trade, durable goods                8       4
        Scrap and waste materials                7       4
   Wholesale trade, nondurable goods             3       2
Services                                         7       4
-------------------------------------------------------------                                                  


Mining and construction, which use some of the same types of
equipment, together accounted for one-seventh of the fatalities studied.
Various earthmoving and drilling machinery were primarily involved in
these fatalities.

Refuse system and scrap waste material industries' equipment, associated
with the "caught in" fatalities, included various trash compactors,
balers, and shredders.  These two industries together accounted for
7 percent of the fatalities in the study.


Circumstances surrounding fatal injuries(3)

Workers were performing a variety of machine-related tasks when they
were fatally caught in equipment.  (See table 4.)  Slightly over half
of the workers were reported as carrying out service- or
maintenance-related tasks, that is, tasks other than the normal
operating or feeding of the machine.  One-fifth of the workers were
performing general or unspecified repair or maintenance.  Others were
reported to have been unjamming, cleaning, adjusting, or inspecting
the machine.  Often these tasks were performed with the machine
running.  In other instances, workers had turned the machine off to
work on it, but were killed when a coworker unknowingly turned the
machine on when the workers were inside or near it.  Others were
killed when they bumped into or fell onto a switch or lever or
activated a sensing mechanism.  Several other workers were fatally
injured when they stepped or reached over a running machine or piece
of equipment.

Loose or tattered clothing also presented a hazard to workers operating
or working near machines.  Over one-fifth of the fatalities studied
occurred after an article of clothing, such as a glove, pant leg, or
shirt or coat sleeve, was caught in the machine.  In fact, the 11 deaths
involving power take-off equipment or driveshafts all occurred after
the worker's clothing was caught in the equipment.  (Workers' hair
being entangled in equipment is a related hazard that can cause severe
nonfatal injury, such as scalping and facial disfigurement.(4) )

Falls into machinery accounted for almost one-tenth of the fatalities
studied.  Some of the deaths resulted when workers fell from the
driver's seat into the working part of the backhoe or other earthmoving
machinery after hitting rough terrain.  Other deaths resulted when
workers fell into the machine while performing various work tasks
near it.


TABLE 3.  Selected machinery involved in fatalities resulting from
workers being caught in machinery, 1997

Type of machinery involved                    Number  Percent
-------------------------------------------   ------  -------

        Total                                  189     100
Agricultural and garden machinery		28	15
    Harvesting and threshing machinery          15       8
        Balers                                   8       4
        Harvesters, reapers                      4       2
    Mowing machinery                             4       2
Construction, logging, and mining
  machinery                                     34      18
    Excavating machinery                         4       2
    Loaders                                      4       2
    Logging and wood processing
      machinery-specialized                      7       4
        Debarkers                                3       2
    Mining and drilling machinery               13       7
        Drilling machines, drilling augers       7       4
    Other construction, logging, and
      mining machinery                           6       3
        Agitators, mixers-earth, mineral         3       2
        Compactors, crushers,
           pulverizers-earth, mineral            3       2
Material handling machinery                     34      18
    Conveyors-powered                           23      12
        Conveyors-belt                          10       5
        Conveyors-live roller                    3       2
        Conveyors-screw, auger                   4       2
    Cranes                                       5       3
    Elevators                                    3       2
Metal, woodworking, and special
  material machinery                            32      17
    Bending, rolling, shaping machinery          3       2
    Extruding, injecting, forming,
     molding machinery                          11       6
        Casting machinery                        5       3
        Plastic injection molding
          machinery                              4       2
    Lathes                                       3       2
    Presses, except printing                     4       2
    Sawing machinery-stationary                  6       3
Special process machinery                       26      14
    Food and beverage processing
       machinery-specialized                     4       2
    Packaging, bottling, wrapping
      machinery                                  7       4
    Paper production machinery                   4       2
    Textile, apparel, leather production
      machinery                                  3       2
    Other special process machinery              7       4
        Pumps                                    4       2
Vehicles                                        18       9
    Truck                                        6       3
    Forklift                                     6       3
    Tractor                                      5       3
Miscellaneous machinery                          9       5
    Trash compactors                             5       3
    Electronic doors, gates                      3       2 
-------------------------------------------------------------



TABLE 4. Activity performed by workers fatally caught in
machinery, 1997

Worker activity               Number   Percent
---------------------------- -------  ---------

  Total                        189     100
Operating machine		85	45
General (unspecified) repair
  or maintenance		37	20
Unjamming materials		19	10
Cleaning machine                14       7
Adjusting machine                8       4
Reaching or stepping
  over machine                   7       4
Inspecting or checking machine   5       3
        Other                   14       7
------------------------------------------------



Safeguarding workers from being caught in machinery

The scenarios described above suggest that in many of the incidents
proper guarding or maintenance procedures were not in place or not
followed.  Guarding refers to any means of effectively preventing
personnel from coming in contact with moving parts of machinery or
equipment that could cause physical harm.  Contacting moving parts
in two major areas can injure workers: the point of operation and the
power transmission apparatus.

The point of operation is the area on the machine where work is
actually performed on the material being processed, such as cutting,
shaping, boring, or forming of stock.  To be effective, point of
operation guards must protect the worker against contact with
dangerous moving parts while allowing the work to continue with
minimal disruption of the production process.  Workers-both machine
operators and service personnel-faced with machine guards that are
inconvenient may be tempted to remove them, thus, exposing themselves
to hazards.(5)

Power transmission apparatus, such as gears, driveshafts, pulleys,
belts, cranks, and power take-off units, transmit energy to the
part of the machine performing the work.  Because these parts do not
have to be accessible during normal operation of the machine, they should
be fully enclosed to prevent worker injury.  Other moving parts, such
as feed mechanisms, should be safeguarded to protect workers.

Safeguards.  Barrier guarding is the most common method of machine
safeguarding.(6)   These guards are physical barriers that are
mounted on or around a machine to prevent access to the moving parts.
Today, machine manufacturers usually provide built-in guards that
conform to the design and function of the machine.(7)   Manufacturers
may also provide guards for retrofitting older machinery without
guards or for machinery whose guards have proven ineffective.  However,
evidence confirms the fact that all machines are not promptly retrofitted.(8)

Several other methods for safeguarding workers during machine operation
exist, including devices that stop the machine if the worker's hand
is placed in the danger area; devices requiring the operator to use
both hands on the controls, thus keeping both hands out of danger;
and feeding and ejection attachments that keep the worker's hands away
from the point of operation.(9)

Safeguarding workers during servicing or maintenance of machinery
presents employers with additional challenges.  Servicing may require
the worker to be near the machine's point of operation or power
transmission without the usual guards in place.  Moreover, certain
machines must be running to be properly lubricated or adjusted.
Workers faced with machine jams may be tempted to unjam the machine
with the power on.  Even after turning the power off, workers may be
injured or killed if a coworker turns the machine on or if there is
a release of residual energy.

A procedure, commonly referred to as "lockout/tagout," was developed
to protect workers from the unexpected startup of equipment or release
of hazardous energy while performing servicing or maintenance.  In general,
this process requires that energy sources for equipment be turned off
or disconnected and that the switch either be locked or labeled with
a warning tag, but preferably both.  The person who applies the lock or
tag should be the only one to remove it.  This would ensure that a
coworker does not energize the equipment thinking that the maintenance
is done.  In addition, stored or residual energy must be safely released
or blocked so that its unexpected release will not injure the worker.(10)

Some repair and maintenance activities, such as cleaning, lubrication,
and unjamming, take place during production.  Machine operators, who
may have to perform these tasks, may be unaware of the hazards involved.

Ten percent of the fatalities in the study occurred while the worker was
unjamming a machine.  Workers may be tempted to unjam a machine while
it is still on, resulting in the worker being pulled in along with the
jammed material.  Besides turning the machine off and releasing stored
energy, special tools may be available to retrieve materials from machines
to avoid injury.  Some machines today have reverser mechanisms to
discharge clogs, thereby reducing the need for workers to get near the
machine's point of operation.  Another method of avoiding injury is to
prevent the jam itself.  Using the machine at the correct speed, avoiding
dust buildup, and ensuring that the machine is adjusted for the
material's size can help forestall machine jams.(11)

Half of the fatalities involving machine jams occurred in agriculture.
Because of this and other hazards associated with tractors powering
farm equipment, farmers have been advised to disengage the power
takeoff, shut off the tractor engine, wait for all parts to stop moving,
and take the key before dismounting the tractor.  This procedure protects
against injury from contact with the rotating power shafts and the moving
parts of the attached machine.  It also prevents another person from
turning the power on while the machine is being fixed.(12)

Machines with automatic or self-lubrication and adjustment permit these
routine tasks to be performed without removal of safeguards.


Summary

To prevent further injury and death from being caught in running
machinery, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other
safety professionals recommend that workers and their employers:
 
*       Safeguard against contact with moving machine parts;

*       Shut off power, perform lockout/tagout, and release residual
        energy before unjamming, servicing, lubricating, or adjusting
        machinery (exceptions may apply for certain machinery);

*       Avoid wearing jewelry and tattered or loose clothing around
        machinery, and wear hair short or tucked inside clothing;

*       Avoid stepping or reaching across running equipment; and

*       Replace guards after servicing equipment.

Because of the diversity in machinery used throughout industry,
this discussion has been simplified.  Employers and workers should
follow manufacturers' instructions, applicable regulatory standards,
current industry consensus standards, and other safety guidelines for
operating, adjusting, unjamming, and repairing equipment.(13)




1  Other machine hazards include being struck by moving equipment or
caught under overturning equipment, being struck by objects propelled
by machinery, coming in contact with electric current, exposure to
carbon monoxide or other substances emitted, and exposure to noise from
running equipment.

2  Data on nonfatal injuries are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).  This program
collects information from a random sample of about 200,000 establishments
representing most private industry wage and salary workers, excluding
workers on small farms.  Worker and case characteristics are collected
only for those workers sustaining injuries and illnesses that require
days away from work to recuperate.

Data on fatal work injuries are from the Bureau's Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries (CFOI).  CFOI data cover all fatal work
injuries.  This program, which has collected occupational fatality
data nationwide since 1992, uses diverse data sources to identify,
verify, and profile fatal work injuries.  Information about each
workplace fatality (industry and other worker characteristics,
equipment involved, and circumstances of the event) is obtained by
cross-referencing source documents, such as death certificates,
workers' compensation records, and reports to Federal and State
agencies.  This method assures counts are as complete and accurate
as possible.  Because the scope and methodology of CFOI and SOII
are slightly different, comparisons of fatal and nonfatal data are
problematic.  Additional information can be obtained from the Bureau
of Labor Statistics Internet site at http://stats.bls.gov/oshhome.htm
or via e-mail at cfoistaff@bls.gov or oshstaff@bls.gov

3 Much of the information on the circumstances surrounding the incident
was derived from a narrative description of how the incident occurred.
In some cases, this narrative was compiled from numerous sources
including investigation reports.  In other instances, information available
to the staff person summarizing the information was scant, particularly
for fatalities that were unwitnessed or that were not investigated
by a State or Federal agency.  Although the reported data may vary
from actual events, the information is still useful for analysis.

4  "Scalping Incidents Involving Hay Balers-New York," Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report, July 10, 1992, pp. 489-491.

5  See Concepts and Techniques of Machine Safeguarding, Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, OSHA 3067, Washington, DC,
1992 (Revised) for a more detailed discussion.

6  Joy LePree, "Machine Guards Prevent Serious Injuries," July
1996 Staff Report, Cahners Business Information.

7  Accident Prevention Manual for Industrial Operations, 9th Edition,
National Safety Council, Chicago, 1988.

8  "Scalping Incidents Involving Hay Balers-New York," pp. 489-491.

9  Concepts and Techniques of Machine Safeguarding, OSHA 3067.

10 See Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), OSHA 3120,
1997 (Revised) for a more detailed discussion.

11 Farm and Ranch Safety Management, 4th Edition, Moline,
Illinois: Deere and Company, 1994.

12 Ibid.

13 For instance, see Concepts and Techniques of Machine Safeguarding,
OSHA 3067 for an explanation and list of applicable industry
consensus standards.