Alert 05 – 46 Use of Improper Cutting Tools Result in Injuries
WHAT HAPPENED:
An employee was attempting to cut an opening through the lid of a plastic five-gallon bucket of chemicals. He was holding the knife in his left hand while holding the bucket with the other hand. The employee also used his feet to stabilize the bottom of the bucket. While cutting the opening, the employee’s knife slipped out of the hole that was being cut. The knife entered the employee’s right palm just below the thumb resulting in a laceration that required 10 sutures to close. In the last two months there have had two identical injuries involving knives and within the last six years, the company has experienced 34 total incidents involving knife injuries. Many of the injuries resulted in recordable incidents.