Logging Injury Alert: Lowboy Operator’s Fingers Amputated

Details

• Personal Author:
  Clark R ; Rappin, Christina ; Clark R ; Rappin, Christina
• Description:
  In May 2019, a lowboy operator had two fingers partially amputated after they were crushed between the trailer gooseneck and the processor counterbalance. The operator was coupling the lowboy gooseneck to a lowbed trailer deck after loading and chaining down a processor. After backing in the lowboy, he climbed under the machine counterbalance to place shims. The operator can only place shims by climbing in between the gooseneck and the trailer after the initial hookup is completed. The shims are stored on a keeper post on the rear of the gooseneck. He reached under the machine counterbalance to replace the cotter pin in the keeper post. As he was doing this, he steadied himself with his left hand on the support frame of the gooseneck. At this point, the trailer detached from the gooseneck and fell to the ground. The operator's left middle finger and ring finger were crushed between the processor counterbalance and trailer gooseneck, partially amputating them. Investigators determined that while the operator had prior experience, it had been over ten years since he had last worked with a lowboy. The employer assumed that because the operator had past experience he did not need training. Also, during coupling, the hooks of the trailer did not fully couple over the steel pins of the gooseneck. It can be difficult to determine when this happens, as there is no good way to visually inspect the connections of the components. Safety Requirements: Employers must adequately train employees to recognize safety and health hazards associated with the employee's specific tasks, including using measures and work practices to prevent and control those hazards. Recommended Safe Practices: 1. Create a reference point on the trailer deck, by either painting or welding, to show when the trailer is all the way backed into the pins, ensuring proper coupling. 2. Wait to position and chain down a load on the trailer until after coupling is complete. In this case, for coupling, the processor should have been positioned to the rear of the trailer deck rather than towards the front. After coupling was complete, the processor should have been repositioned forward and chained down. This sequence minimizes the overhead hazard for the lowboy operator. 3. Site managers should verify that employees can safely operate new equipment and complete assigned tasks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Education Forestry Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accidents Equipment Design Equipment Operators Hand Injuries Hazards Heavy Equipment Injuries Injury Prevention Logging Safety Logging Workers Machinery Motor Vehicle Parts Personal Protection Preventive Measures Risk Factors Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Practices Training Trucking Work Environment Workers

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• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058444
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 92-30-2019, 2019 Sep; :1-2
• Contact Point Address:
  SHARP Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Logging injury alert: lowboy operator's fingers amputated
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:07fa1fd2b1a786e3752acb3ef08b85d92a2f5b27c131890c3c8152d332d0c1cd13fc8d8bf36876beeb225d603e55bf2f429ab3664ece092b6535b7a42daeb360
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221536/cdc_221536_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 476.10 KB ]