Cut Finger

An L4 Contractors employee was cutting 20mm diameter Flexible Conduit casing over wiring – used in the Red-Bar installation. The task involved running the knife in a circular motion around the conduit casing to score it, and then snap the casing and pulling it off the wires within.

The knife slipped, cutting through his glove and into his right thumb resulting in a 35mm cut which needed 9 stitches.

What went wrong?

  • An open blade knife was used to perform this task (which was in line with industrial practice for this type of work).
  • There was no specific Safety Method Statement for this job since people did not consider it to be dangerous.
  • The worker was not completely focused on this repetitive task, as he was eagerly waiting his holiday and did not perform his LMRA.
  • His site supervisor was not present since he had to attend a second site as well.

Lessons learnt

  • When cutting this type of flex conduit use the proper tool and not what is presumed the easiest.
  • Prepare a JSA for all tasks that can be dangerous and cover all hazards that can occur while doing the job – workers must understand these hazards, as they are the people who will get hurt.
  • Always do your LMRA before starting your task.
  • When performing a task, remain focused and do not get distracted.
  • Discuss the job before carrying it out.
  • Always ask yourself: “what is the worst thing that can happen to me and my colleagues” before you start the job.

REMEMBER – If it is NOT safe, don’t WORK!

Source: Coteba

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