AN UNFORGETTABLE SCREAM - Metal worker loses eye in shop mishap

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jeremiah K. Carpenter
  • 42nd Air Base Wing ground safety
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  About 14 years ago when I was 16 years old, I, like many young teenagers, got a summer job. I was lucky; my father got me a job doing miscellaneous tasks at a metal fabrication shop where he worked. When I was dismissed from school for summer break, I could not wait to get started.

On the first day of my new job, I went to new employee orientation and job safety training. I, with a few other new employees, met with our new supervisor, Jeff. He was an older gentleman who was very rough around the edges. One of the first things he mentioned was how dangerous the work area was.

Jeff told us about welding fumes, machine guarding, confined spaces, lockout/tagout, fall protection, respiratory protection, overhead cranes, steel rollers, presses, and many other dangerous areas and operations within the shop. After the briefing, we watched a video produced back in the 1950s that highlighted industrial safety requirements.

As we ended the meeting Jeff looked us all in the eye and told us that we all had a responsibility to each other to "stop any operation that looked unsafe."

After orientation I met with a young man named Pete, who was going to be my trainer. I was issued personal protective equipment, such as earplugs, leather gloves, steel-toed boots, eye protection and a hard hat. For the first few weeks I tagged along with Pete, and he showed me everything I needed to know.

A few weeks turned into a few months, and I was starting to get to know everyone in the shop, as well as what areas to stay away from to reduce my risk.

One day while sweeping the shop floor, I spotted one of the older workers, Gary, operating a piece of machinery. The operation was loud, but other than that, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary about the machine. I did, however, notice that Gary was wearing chemical goggles and not safety glasses.

I figured he had been running that machine for more than 20 years and was an expert at using it. Who was I to correct him?

I continued sweeping the floor when the 10 o'clock buzzer went off, signaling break time. Old Gary came over to me, and I started asking him about what he was doing and what he was operating. He told me that he was punching out three-eighths-inch holes in one-quarter-inch steel using a punch press. He had to punch out a couple thousand of them.

When the buzzer went off again, we both went back to work. About 10 minutes later, I heard an unforgettable scream.

I ran in the direction the scream came from. I was the first on-scene. Gary was lying on the concrete floor bleeding profusely and grabbing the left side of his face. Others arrived immediately and provided first aid. Shortly thereafter the paramedics showed up and transported Gary to the hospital.

At 16 years old I was in awe of what just happened. But I wasn't alone. Everyone at the company was in shock.

The supervisors and production superintendants started to investigate the mishap. They inspected the machine and found that the die used to punch out the steel had broken off during use and struck Gary in the eye. They asked me what had happened, and I told them everything that I knew. The investigation found that Gary was using chemical protective goggles, not the safety glasses that he was issued.

Gary's choice cost him his eye.

I felt horrible about what transpired. I ran the events leading up to the mishap a hundred times in my head. I kept hearing in the back of my mind what Jeff had told us during orientation. Looking back at the mishap, I should have questioned Gary about his choice of personal protective equipment, but I thought that I was too young to challenge a seasoned technician.

No matter what the job or operation, we all owe it to ourselves, co-workers and family members to take care of each other and to prevent similar mishaps in the future.