St. Paul, MN — Responding to a recent spike of amputation injuries in the state, Minnesota OSHA is urging employers to assess workplace risks and take corrective actions.
MNOSHA has received 15 reports of amputation injuries – mostly to workers’ hands and fingers – since Oct. 1, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry states in June 19 press release. On average, MNOSHA investigates 13 such injuries a year.
Amputations are most common when machines, mechanical equipment and power tools are unguarded or inadequately guarded, according to MNOSHA. Risk can increase when mechanical motions of machines, tools or equipment involve rotating, reciprocating, traversing, cutting, punching, shearing and bending.
The agency encourages employers to focus on machine guarding to help prevent these injuries. “Proper training and safety information regarding the machines also is vital to the safety of employees,” the release states.
