At 10:00 p.m. on March 26, 2023, an employee was working as a machine operator for a corrugated box manufacturer. The employee was possibly adjusting or cleaning the electric photo eyes on a bundle breaker machine. The machine was energized, in run mode, and not locked out. The employee broke the light beam, and the machine cycled. The employee was crushed about his head in the point of operation and died.
A non fatal accident occurred recently where a contract employee was performing maintenance on an operating chemical fluid pump, mounted under a Mack delivery truck, when he became entangled in the P. T. O. shaft. The injury resulted in a compound fracture of the humerus bone with avulsions of the muscle tissue of the left arm. A dozer operator walking by the truck to his job noticed the injured entangled in the shaft, ran and shut the truck off, which freed the injured from the shaft.
Here is a classic example of not having zero energy. This guy was going to clean a screen on a line that normally runs around 80 degrees. The screen is on the suction of a centrifugal pump. The screen plugged up, causing the pump to cavitate and heat up tremendously. He shut off the pump (which allowed the discharge line to back feed into the pump), closed the suction valve and the discharge valve. The liquid that had back flowed began to boil creating pressure on the isolated area where the screen was located. There were bleeders on both sides of the screen, which he failed to open. When he loosened the lid on the screen, it blew out covering his hands and forearms with boiling hot liquid. This was outside in the winter so he was wearing gloves and a winter coat (luckily). He recovered 100% and learned an important lesson the hard way. Zero energy means ZERO ENERGY!
Keep the Faith Brother
p.s. Please make this anonymous. It's worth the visibility if it keeps someone else from getting hurt like this. Feel free to resize these.
