As editor of Today I spotted a couple of news stories about industrial accidents at plastics processors, so I'm sharing them here because I know a lot of Plastics News readers are keenly interested in all safety-related posts.
The first concerns an employee who was injuried at a Zanesville, Ohio, sheet manufacturer. According to the local newspaper, the Times Recorder, the worker "was changing a mold when back pressure blew a mold out and hot plastic went all over [him], burning his face, chest and arms."
The worker was treated and released.
The second is a story about a lawsuit filed in West Virginia as a result of a May 2010 accident at a polypropylene sheet extruder. According to the West Virginia Record, a worker claims she severely hurt her left arm when she tried to clean a machine while it was running.
The worker claims her arm was pulled into the equipment, "smashed into pieces, bones from the arm pierced her skin and the arm was badly burned and lacerated," the report said. The worker could not activate any of the safety stop mechanisms to power the machine down.
Let's consider this a reminder to reinforce safety messages today.
As I wrote in PN's annual "industry agenda" column in January: "Safety must be every company's top priority. That includes keeping workers safe and making products consumers can use with confidence. Processors, suppliers, workers and regulators must work together to make the plastics industry a leader in worker and community safety."