Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Ottoman Collapse Results in Injury

Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE) Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: Chair

What happened: A man was injured when a stool collapsed

Injuries: Back and head

Recommendations: Many chair accidents are due to connection failures of some sort, whether screws that pull from a chipboard attachment, or weld breakage, or other mechanical failure.  This accident occurred when the base of an ottoman type seat collapsed.  The unavailability of the subject stool made inspection impossible to determine if it was a connection failure, material failure, design defect, or product misuse that led to the failure.

OSHA/Standard violations?: No

Visit www.mase.pro for more information on unsafe products, and http://mase.pro/2013FC53.htm for information on chair accidents and requirements.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Rubber Press Accident

Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE) Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: Rubber press

What happened: A man was injured when he became entrapped and pulled into the nip point of a rubber press while feeding material into the press

Injuries: Arm

Recommendations: Protecting workers from in-running nip points such as where two rollers meet is important.  At no time should a person be able to access the nip point of a press while it is operating.  Standard methods for safeguarding these types of machine hazards includes interlocked guards, light curtains, pressure mats, barrier guards, guarding by distance, body bars and other methods. 

OSHA/Standard violations?: Yes

Visit www.mase.pro for more information on unsafe products, and http://mase.pro/2012FC51.htm for information on guarding nip points.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Tree Stand Accident

Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE) Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: Tree Stand

What happened: A man was injured when the tree stand he was using collapsed causing him to fall to the ground

Injuries: Back and arm injuries

Recommendations: The cantilevered design of most tree stands makes them susceptible to collapse if the tree-side of the stand becomes unsupported.  Strap failure, loose straps, and incorrectly installed straps can all result in this type of failure of a tree stand.  Using straps that can withstand environmental conditions will prevent tree stand failure due to strap failure.  Another option to these types of accidents is to eliminate the hazard of the cantilevered design.  Designs exist on the market that are fully self-supporting, eliminating the need for a tree, as well as eliminating the hazard of failure due to an unsupported/partially supported tree stand.

OSHA/Standard violations?: No

Visit www.mase.pro for more information on unsafe products, and http://mase.pro/2012FC46.htm for more information of tree stand failures.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Hydraulic Press Accident

Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE) Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: Hydraulic Press

What happened: A man was injured while feeding parts into a hydraulic brake press when his coworker accidentally cycled the machine

Injuries: Crushing injuries to hand

Recommendations: A typical one-person operation was being performed by two people in an attempt to speed up production.  This is a foreseeable scenario that machine designers and facilities need to mitigate.  The two-handed control station did not offer the worker protection since his coworker was manning the controls.  There are various solutions to this type of machine guarding scenario.  For this machine the operator places material into the press, and then cycles the press.  A simple light curtain could have detected the presence of the worker and prevented the press from cycling when the coworker engaged it.  Alternatively, guarding by distance could have prevented this accident, as could have barrier guards with openings to allow the work product to pass.

OSHA/Standard violations?: Yes

Visit www.mase.pro for more information on unsafe products

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Golf Cart Overturn

Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE) Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: Golf cart

What happened: A man was injured when the golf cart he was driving rolled as he attempted to negotiate a turn.  He was thrown from the cart and injured when he impacted the ground and when the cart landed on top of him

Injuries: Broken leg, head injuries

Recommendations: Golf carts are capable of traveling at speeds that can result in injury to people.  Tipping of golf carts, and vehicles, is a foreseeable event whether due to uneven terrain, terrain defects, wet conditions, etc.  Protecting the operator is imperative in these accidents.  Operator and passenger protection can be afforded using seatbelts and doors to contain the occupants.

OSHA/Standard violations?: No

Visit www.mase.pro for more information on unsafe products