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Arcoservices > Confined Spaces > Worker seriously injured in silo incident

Worker seriously injured in silo incident

A wheat and barley blending plant has been fined after a worker was seriously injured whilst unblocking wheat in a silo.

Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard the employee was working for Clynderwen and Cardiganshire Farmers Limited (CCF) and had entered a wheat silo to clear a blockage.

As he did so the rotating auger started to sweep and pulled him down towards the centre of the silo. He initially escaped but was caught by his clothing and pulled down again, with most of his clothes being pulled off. He managed to escape and switch off the auger before he was found.

He suffered severe lacerations to his left foot and lower leg leading to surgical amputation a week later.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, which occurred on 9 July 2014, found there was inadequate instruction and training into the electrical and mechanical isolation of the auger.

Clynderwen and Cardiganshire Farmers Limited, of Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,396 after pleading guilty to an offence under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

After the hearing HSE inspector Simon Breen said: “The sweep auger that caused the damage to the employee was not adequately isolated, in practice, and the employees did not have sufficient information, instruction and training to safely carry out the annual cleanout of the grain silos.

“Duty holders should consider the risks posed by infrequent but necessary work activities as much as those of day to day procedures and practices.”

Notes to Editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
  2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ link to external website
  3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
(source)

 

Confined Space Training

Confined spaces can be deadly. In 1997, the regulations were introduced in order to control industry and the self-employed.

It is now the law that if you are involved with entering, controlling or supervising people involved with confined space work you must have received training. Failure to comply with the 1997 Confined Space regulations can result in prosecution.

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Confined Space Equipment

What is Lockout / Tagout

Each year thousands of industrial machine related work accidents occur, these accidents can occur when repairing or servicing equipment, the unexpected startup or release of stored energy can cause accidental injuries or even death.

The LOCKOUT TAGOUT procedure protects the employees from risk of an accident due to the power source not being isolated.

LOCKOUT TAGOUT is the process of the placement of a lockout padlock, device or tag on the power isolating device, the padlock or tag ensures that equipment being controlled cannot be operated until the lockout device is removed thus making sure the equipment will not be inadvertently activated while someone else is working on it.