Last week an incident during the previous week was confirmed as reportable and therefore added to the statistics retrospectively.

In the incident an employee was asked to clear spillage from around a field hopper.  After locking out the conveyor the employee attempted to remove a guard, but due to settlement it wouldn’t come free.  On attempting to reinstall the fixing bolts for the guard, the holes didn’t line up so the employee attempted to lever the base of the guard with a hand shovel to realign the holes.  Unfortunately, the shovel slipped causing the employee to fall forward and strike his knee on a section of protruding threaded rod used for tail drum adjustment.

There are a number of learning points from the incident:

• Minimise spillage wherever possible
• Consider maintenance requirements when designing guards
• Remove or protect protruding tracking rods

Always use the right, well maintained tools and equipment for the job.