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Little workshop of horrors Salutary lessons from the HSE's files

28th June 2007, Page 59
28th June 2007
Page 59
Page 59, 28th June 2007 — Little workshop of horrors Salutary lessons from the HSE's files
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Inhalation An MVR paint sprayer worked for 10 years painting commercial vehicle bodies. He worked in a spray space and wore air-fed breathing apparatus. However, after spraying he would routinely flip up his visor to check on paint coverage, quality etc, allowing no time for the fine overspray mist to clear. The first indication that something was wrong was a tight chest at night. Neither the sprayer nor his GP made the connection between his asthma and exposure to isocyanates at work. He soldiered on until he could work no longer. By this time, he was unable to walk more than 20 yards before resting and was unemployed.

Tripping hazards A mechanic was carrying a large drip tray that obstructed his view of the floor. As he passed through a doorway he tripped over a trailing cable, and injured his back. A garage foreman fractured his leg when he slipped down some stairs shortly after walking through a small diesel spillage. A f itter spilt some oil on the floor, which he failed to clear up. Later that day he slipped on the oil and fell awkwardly, fracturing his wrist.

Immobilisation A mechanic was working alone repairing an LGV. He reached into the cab from the ground and switched on the ignition. The LGV, which was in gear with the handbrake off, started to move forward. The mechanic was crushed between the offside of the vehicle and a second truck parked alongside.

Working at height An employee working on a box trailer vehicle fell 4m from the top of an extension ladder, sustaining multiple fractures to his hip and left wrist. The ladder was neither footed nor secured and he lost his balance when the bottom of the ladder slipped away. His employer had not carried out a risk assessment and there was no safety equipment provided for work on the tops of commercial vehicies.

Proper procedures An employee was helping a driver to position a vehicle over an inspection pit. He was walking backwards when he fell about 1.5m into the pit, sustaining three broken ribs and a broken left wrist. Both the driver and the other employee had ignored management safety procedures published in the company's induction pack, which warned of the danger of reversing in this way.

An employee was struck by a moving vehicle while walking across the garage yard. There was no system in place to segregate vehicles and pedestrians.

Flammable An LGV diesel tank had split along the seams and it was decided to repair it by brazing. The tank was emptied using a hand-pump, but not cleaned or gas-freed.

The person carrying out the repair suffered the full force of the resulting explosion and fireball and suffered extensive burns.

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Organisations: US Federal Reserve

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