It may be part of what workers wear every day, but these two recent incidents show that around moving machinery parts, loose clothing can prove fatal.
An employee at Green 46 Recycling in Rochester, WI, died when his clothing got tangled in machinery at the recycling company.
Kyle Wene was working on a conveyor belt used to process asphalt shingles for recycling. The belt caught Wene’s clothing and choked him, according to authorities.
In another incident, Glen Pullins was working at Power Zone Equipment in Center, CO, when his arm got caught in machinery. By the time co-workers turned off the machine, Pullins was dead.
Investigators believe Pullins’ coat sleeve was caught by the moving parts of the machine and he was pulled in.
OSHA is investigating both fatalities.
A reminder for workers: Loose clothing or jewelry can become caught in moving parts, and when that happens, the result is often loss of limb or life.