The New South Wales Resources Regulator has received 50 reports of hand and finger injuries in the last two years. Safe to Work investigates how operators can help its workers remain injury-free.
Hand injuries may result in surgery, lengthy rehabilitation periods and potentially lifelong impairment – they’re certainly not to be underestimated.
Recently, an agitator operator was clearing material when rotating machinery crushed his thumb, requiring surgery.
Elsewhere, at an underground mine, a fitter was changing a feed rope on a development drill when his thumb was caught and de-gloved, needing to be treated at hospital.
Another recent incident saw a fitter fracture his thumb when he closed the door to a jumbo drill train.
These are just a few examples of how a second can make all the difference. The NSW Resources Regulator said many of these injuries could have been avoided with a strengthen focus on a hierarchy of controls.
It its most recent safety bulletin, the regulator recommended workers and operators:
- use guards or isolation to eliminate the opportunity for workers to enter crush areas, pinch points and entanglement hazards
- ensure work area lighting is suitable for the task being conducted
- consider visual aids such as fluorescent or bright-coloured gloves that can be more easily seen in dark environments
- involve workers to identify pinch/crush points and identify solutions to control the hazard
- ensure isolation and permit-to-work systems are implemented to ensure workers are not exposed to moving objects including being trapped by moving machinery/equipment or being trapped between stationary and moving objects
- provide workers with information, training, instruction and supervision on working with equipment that has moving parts, sharp equipment, tools and pinch points
- ensure workers are provided with and are using the correct tools and equipment to undertake the task.
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