Health & safety bulletin
Cut Finger
29th October 2009
Please see below self explanatory safety incident report.
Many thanks to Esso for sharing this. Although this incident did not involve any of our employees or approved subcontractors, it highlights that although engineering and purchasing policies can be altered to make tasks safer; there is always a risk when performing any task - even something as simple as folding up a box. Always carry out a LMRA and think about what could go wrong - even for tasks that seem very straightforward and ‘safe’.
Safety Incident - (6th July 2009) - Finger Cut
Follow-up Details:
Immediately after the incident the cut was washed and a plaster applied. No additional first aid was required. A report was completed and sent to LHD Help and Safety representative.
How incident occurred:
An engineer was collapsing a cardboard box and needed to cut the tape holding the base together. The engineer held the box with his left hand and cut the tape downwards. The box was held at approx 45deg from the body so the safety knife was not being pulled towards the body; however, the engineer's hand was in the arc the knife was travelling through.
Whilst cutting, the tape cutter part of the knife slipped off the tape and cut the index finger on the engineer's left hand.
- There was a base cause of process failure. The task could have been assessed more thoroughly. Had an assessment been performed, the hands would have been positioned correctly. If too much force was being
Actions:
- Desktop team in Leatherhead was advised to use safety knives carefully as, even though they are safety knives, there is a risk. The need to Take 3 is important.
- Is the tool correct for the material being cut?
- Is the cutting surface stable?
- Are there any obstacles?
- Highlight the issue in Safety meetings and review the need to discuss the message of Take 3 and how these knives should be used. They are Safety Knives - This doesn't mean they are 'safe'. They need to be used correctly and as such the engineers need to have training (e.g. toolbox talk).