CAUGHT IN/CAUGHT BETWEEN


                       A SAFETY TALK FOR

                      DISCUSSION LEADERS



This safety talk is designed for discussion leaders to use in preparing safety

meetings.



Set a specific time and date for your safety meeting.  Publicize your meeting

so everyone involved will be sure to attend.



Review this safety talk before the meeting and become familiar with its

content. Make notes about the points made in this talk that pertain to your

workplace.  You should be able to present the material in your own words and

lead the discussion without reading it.



Seating space is not absolutely necessary, but arrangements should be made so

that those attending can easily see and hear the presentation.



Collect whatever materials and props you will need ahead of time.  Try to use

equipment in your workplace to demonstrate your points.





                      DURING THE MEETING



Give the safety talk in your own words.  Use the printed talk merely as a

guide.



The purpose of a safety meeting is to initiate discussion of safety problems

and provide solutions to those problems.  Encourage employees to discuss

hazards or potential hazards the encounter on the job. Ask them to suggest ways

to improve safety in their area.



Don't let the meeting turn into a gripe session about unrelated topics.  As

discussion leader, its your job to make sure the topic is safety.  Discussing

other topics wastes time and can ruin the effectiveness of your safety meeting.



At the end of the meeting, ask employees to sign a sheet on the back of this

talk as a record that they attended the safety meeting.  Keep this talk on file

for your records.





CAUGHT IN/CAUGHT BETWEEN



TF26



Several incidents occur each year in which people suffer injuries as the result

of having an arm, hand or foot caught in or caught between objects.



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:



Read and share with the group the summaries listed below of known causes of

caught-in or caught-between incidents and discuss the suggested reasons why

these happened:



þ While turning a trim-press die up on its end, the worker's hand slipped,

allowing the die to fall. The worker's hand was caught between the die and the

table.



þ A worker was rotating a part on a set of rollers, when his hand was caught

between the part and the roller.



þ A machine operator put her hand into a part spinning in a lathe to see if the

tool was cutting properly. Her hand was caught between the part and the cutter.



þ A trim press operator was trying to free a part from a die, when the press

recycled and caught a finger between the dies.



þ A worker reached into a machine while it was running to pull out a piece of

metal, when his arm was caught between the part being machined and the cutter.



These incidents and others have occurred for reasons, such as those listed

below:



þ Inadequate procedures explained to perform an operation.



þ Working on moving equipment.



þ Under mental or physical stress.



þ Using unsafe equipment.



þ Employee training deficiency.



þ Inadequate or no guarding.



þ Failure to use guarding and interlocks.



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:



Choose your own case study of a caught-in or caught-between incident that has

occurred in your plant, or read the one below and then discuss possible causes

and corrective actions that may be taken to prevent similar incidents from

occurring in the future.



CASE STUDY



A screw-press operator was setting up the press in preparation for a production

run The setup procedure required a shim to be placed alongside the die to meet

tool alignment specifications. This is usually accomplished by jogging the ram

down rod all alignment point and inserting the shim with a pair of tongs.



This is a slow process and the operator chose not to follow the procedure.

Instead, the operator inserted the shim with one hand, held it in place, and

used the "inch" button with the other hand to screw the ram. This caused the

ram to be inched down too far and the operator's hand was caught between the

upper and lower die blocks. The operator suffered fractures to the left hand

and wrist.



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:



Use the questions and possible answers provided below to initiate discussion

among group members about the case study:



What are the immediate and contributing causes of the accident?



Possible answers:



. Unsafe operating procedure



þ Inadequate program of inspection and maintenance of equipment.



þ Employee was not trained to perform the operation safely.



þ Employee was not supervised properly.



þ Employee was under physical or mental stress.



. What can be done to prevent a similar accident in the future?



Possible solutions:



þ Develop a standard operating procedure that would allow the shim to be

inserted quickly and safely with hands away from the point of alignment.



þ Review the preventive maintenance program and determine if maintenance is

performed regularly. Take the necessary steps to ensure that equipment is

thoroughly checked as part of the preventive maintenance program.



þ Conduct press training and retraining.



þ Require supervisors to ask employees to report any potential safety hazards

as soon a possible.



þ Employees must be willing to follow safe operating procedures



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:



The intent of this talk is to actively involve the group in solving safety

problems and to encourage safety awareness that will contribute to a reduction

of injuries. 

Text Version