Employee Safety

Culvert causes injury

Jeff Tugman, Employee Safety, District 2

Recently, a WYDOT Maintenance Tech was assisting two other employees who were unloading several 24-inch culvert drain pipes. During the unloading process, the culvert rotated and the employee’s arm made contact with the inside of the culvert, causing a laceration to their forearm, which required 20 stitches.

Takeaways: 1.Use the JSA and Tailgate briefings as tools to spot and correct potential hazards. 2.Wear protective clothing and gloves when working with metal or sharp objects. 3.Whenever possible, use mechanical means to handle large objects to reduce the potential of injuries. 4.Make sure that employees that are assisting with projects outside of their normal work areas understand the potential hazards of the projects by utilizing tailgate briefings and JSA’s.

Provide training before beginning the work if the employee is unfamiliar with the work to be performed. 5.Remember that ALL employees have the authority to stop work when the situation is unsafe or may become unsafe.

Edges of culvert piping can be very sharp.

Bolt slips, cuts through glove of employee

By Colter Bame, Employee Safety, District 1

On September 13th, 2021, a WYDOT employee was injured while changing cutting edges on a loader. The employee was using an impact wrench to loosen the bolts holding the cutting edge on the bucket of the loader. They were using their hand to hold the bolt in place as they were loosening the nut. After loosening part way, the bolt slipped out of the blade and spun, cutting through the glove and into the palm of the employee, which required eight stitches to repair.

Use Best Work Practices: 1.Utilize JSA’s and “Tailgate Talks” to identify potential hazards and proper PPE. 2.Use the “Hierarchy of Controls Pyramid” to mitigate risks. 3.Use mechanical means whenever possible, e.g. using a block of wood or a metal object to hold bottom of bolt in place, cut the nuts off instead of loosening, etc. 4.Maintain situational awareness, and seek assistance if necessary. n

While being loosened, a bolt slipped out of the blade of a loader’s bucket, cutting through the glove of an employee.