Tool Box Talk: Pinch Point Injuries

Pinch Point Injuries

Pinch Points are all around us; at work we have equipment, machinery etc; at home we have doors, drawers, cupboards and there is also our car doors that we interact with everyday wherever we are.

A pinch point is really any space where a part of or a person’s body can be caught between a stationary and a moving object or between two moving objects.

If a person or their body part occupies that space during the pinching movement, there is a high probability of injuries such as crushing of tissues, fractures and even amputations.

A worker was removing equipment from a tank with four other workers.

Due to a miscommunication, an incident happened where the hand of one of the workers was pinned between the piece of equipment and the man-way.

The worker sustained four broken bones, as well as lacerations.

In another incident two employees were removing a valve.

One employee was holding a hammer wrench against a flange bolt and when the hammer hit the wrench, the handle jumped to the side and pinched the employee’s little against the pipe causing a laceration and broken finger.

Finally, an incident occurred when an employee was holding the socket end of a torque wrench and a second employee was holding the handle end of the wrench.

The employee holding the socket was wearing a glove which got caught and trapped the hand.

The employee could not get their hand out of the way before the second employee pulled down the wrench handle.

The wrench pinned the first employee’s ring finger on their right hand and smashed it to the pipe.

The result was an open fracture of the right index finger tip. The wound required 11 stitches.

All three of these incidents resulted in OSHA recordable lost time injuries.

All injuries were avoidable!

Pinch Point Safety Precautions

• Identify possible pinch point hazards in your work area
• Focus on objects that move or possibly could move. Ask yourself, “What will happen if this moves? Will I be in the path of that movement?
• Be aware of pinch points created by objects that move and come into direct contact with relatively fixed objects
• Be on guard whenever you put your hands, fingers, toes or feet “between” anything.
• Discuss and point out pinch point hazards as part of your JSA.
• Verify effective communication methods are established before the work begins when working with someone else or as a group to avoid putting your safety in someone else’s control.
• Pay attention when opening drawers, doors, filing cabinets, etc.

ALWAYS BE AWARE OF PINCH POINTS THAT ARE PRESENT IN YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH EQUIPMENT OR MACHINERY YOU MAY USE OR WORK WITH AND/OR NEAR.

And a bonus quote from John Kenneth Galbraith:

“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.”

Thanks to TO for the share!