Hazard Alert

Critical Injury: Metal Fragment Hits Eye

A mechanic at a mechanized logging operation was in the process of servicing a boom on a delimber. He was using a hammer and punch to drive a pin out when part of the punch broke off and flew up into his face. The metal fragment shot under his safety glasses and embedded itself in his left eye.

Recommendations to Prevent a Recurrence

1. The hazard of metal tools or parts shattering when being hammered is not limited to the eyes. Flying pieces of broken metal can cause serious injury anywhere particularly to the face and the major blood vessels of the neck. Therefore…

• Use the appropriate tool: a ball peen hammer (and not a carpenter’s hammer), a rubber mallet or a fiberglass hammer, and the right size punch.
• Never use a tool that is cracked, chipped, badly worn, or which has lost its hardness (‘temper’) through having been excessively heated.

2. Always use the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment. Safety glasses alone do not provide adequate protection for some tasks. Glasses with side protectors, goggles or full-face protection may be needed in some situations.