Safety Tips

Compacting and baling machines have uses in many industries, and also are involved in a number of fatalities and serious injuries.

Mine mechanics are exposed to more conveyer hazards than other mine workers, resulting in many mining injuries and deaths, according to the Mine Safety and Health Admini­stration. Conveyers can grab workers and cause entanglements.

A 48-year-old laborer was killed after he fell 8.5 feet from the top of a pile of construction debris on a trash truck bed to the pavement below. The debris hauling company employing the victim had been in operation only five months at the time of the incident.

Exposure to vibration or being required to make repetitive motions can lead to significant wear and tear on the body. The resulting injuries are known as cumulative trauma disorders.

Working in high-risk areas such as hospitals regularly exposes health care workers to the influenza virus, putting them at an elevated risk for contracting the illness.

More than 51,000 luggage-related injuries were treated in doctors’ offices, clinics and emergency rooms in 2005, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Chemicals in the workplace can create hazards in the home if workers are not careful.

A window washer was killed after falling 53 feet off the roof of a four-story office building. The victim had been working for a facilities service company for about four months prior to his death.

Cuts can be a serious problem for workers in the food processing industry. They generally occur while workers are using knives, cleavers, or slicing machinery in meat and fish production.

A 25-year-old laborer at a concrete pipe manufacturing facility died from injuries he sustained while trying to clean a ribbon-type concrete mixer.