BOILERMAKER SUFFERS SERIOUS EYE INJURY IN GRINDING INCIDENT
Fluor Australia released a Safety Alert on 23 January, dealing with an incident that happened on a Queensland site on 14 January which resulted in a boilermaker suffering permanent loss of vision in his left eye when using a hand-held grinder. We have provided the Safety Alert for your information and assistance in preventing similar incidents, and we thank the subscriber who forwarded it to us. We congratulate Fluor Australia for the proactive approach demonstrated by this Safety Alert to learning and disseminating lessons from incidents, and we thank the company's National Coordinator of HSE Services, Marion Hill, for giving us permission to publish it.
INCIDENT: Penetration injury to left eye from blending repair weld. LOCATION: Dragline 28 DATE: 14/01/2003
DESCRIPTION: At approximately 1pm on the 14th Jan 2003, a boilermaker (not a Fluor project) suffered a serious eye injury from a fragment of shattered grinding disc penetrating the inner lens of his welding helmet and subsequently his eye. The employee was grinding a repair weld on the lower stabiliser link of the RHS propel of the dragline with a 5 inch electric grinder when it is believed that the tool jammed. It then appears that upon releasing the grinder, the disc shattered and penetrated his eye protection. The injured person was transported and treated by an eye specialist upon arrival.
INJURY/DAMAGE: The employee has suffered a permanent loss of vision in his left eye.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: Pending outcomes of the final investigation, preliminary findings indicate that the below factors may have contributed to the injury: • Restricted work environment necessitating close proximity to the area being ground • Jamming / stalling of the grinder and subsequent failure of the disc wheel The inner lens of the welding helmet, which should be impact resistant, may inadvertently have been replaced with an anti-splatter cover lens, offering little impact resistance. As the inner lens of welding helmets are interchangeable, it is possible to replace the inner polycarbonate lens with an anti-splatter cover lens, the latter offering minimal impact resistance
IMPROVEMENT MEASURES: The following preventative actions are being addressed: • Check of all welding helmets on site to ensure the correct lens plates are installed in the correct position • Discussion of the incident, possible causes and interim preventative measures with mine site personnel • Interim measure of mandating a face shield and safety glasses be worn whilst performing grinding as opposed to welding helmets • Further investigation into equipment and tooling capability / protection levels
