The Fatal Four in Construction - Caught In / Between
Date Posted: 12/12/2023
Nationally, workers suffer approximately 125,000 caught-in-between or crushed injuries yearly when body parts get caught between two objects or are entangled with machinery. These hazards are also referred to as "pinch points.” The physical forces applied to a body part caught in a pinch point can vary and cause injuries ranging from bruises, cuts, amputated body parts, and even death. According to OSHA, Caught-In or -Between Hazards are defined as Injuries resulting from a person being squeezed, caught, crushed, pinched, or compressed between two or more objects or between parts of an object. By identifying caught-in or -between hazards and understanding how they happen, we can take steps to protect ourselves.
Unguarded Machinery & Equipment
Machinery can pose hazards with moving parts, conveyors, rollers, and rotating shafts. Refrain from reaching into unguarded machinery. Becoming caught in machinery can result in bodily entrapment, broken or crushed limbs and bones, suffocation, punctures, head injuries, internal damage, and death.
How to Prevent Machinery & Service-Related Incidents
Service equipment in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Use safety equipment such as chock blocks, jack stands, etc.
Make sure all guards and covers are placed correctly and are not damaged.
Inspect all safety equipment following the manufacturer’s recommendations. Use appropriately rated equipment.
Always service equipment on stable, level ground.
Always engage the parking brake while maintaining equipment.
De-energize and lockout (LOTO) the equipment’s energy (hydraulics, electrical system, etc.).
Keep gloves, loose clothing, jewelry, and long hair away from moving gears and rotating shafts.
Caught Between Objects
According to OSHA, more than 22% of all injuries annually are related to caught-in-between incidents. Tasks such as equipment maintenance, lifting/hoisting materials, construction work zones, assembly work, and hooking/unhooking trailers are a few of the most common causes of caught-in-between incidents.
Do not walk between operating equipment and fixed objects.
Ensure that backup alarms are working on all mobile equipment.
Always approach machinery or equipment cautiously and ensure the operator can see you. Make eye contact with equipment operators or vehicle drivers before entering the operating perimeter.
Be aware of your surroundings to prevent becoming trapped or crushed by an object.
Barricade open areas where workers might become trapped or crushed.
Always make eye contact with equipment operators and wait for a signal before approaching.
Never walk behind any machinery.
Stay out of the swing radius of any machinery.
Ensure equipment has rollover protective structures (ROPS) to prevent tipping or rollover with seatbelts.
Prevent workers from being in pinch-point areas of equipment.
Prevent workers from being crushed by dropped or collapsing materials during construction, demolition work, or high winds.
Use qualified riggers during hoisting activities and for the assembly/disassembly of cranes.
Use tag lines with loads that need to be controlled or guided.
Trenches & Excavations
According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, “trenching and excavation work presents serious hazards to all workers. Cave-ins pose the greatest risk and are more likely than other excavation-related incidents to result in worker fatalities”. From 2011 to 2018, there were 157 trenching fatalities across the United States. These fatality incidents were preventable with the use of a protective system, and proper employee training.
How to Prevent Trenching & Excavation-Related Incidents
Have a competent person evaluate excavations daily before anyone enters. Excavations should be re-evaluated after rain, vibrations, thawing soils, or any other event that could make the soil unstable.
Use shoring equipment, shielding, sloping, or benching systems for excavations deeper than 4 feet in depth or less, when necessary, by the competent person.
Examine protective systems in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and remove damaged systems from service.
Never climb into an unprotected trench or excavation.
Understand and correctly identify and classify soil types:
Stable Rock - Natural solid mineral matter that can be excavated with vertical sides and remain intact while exposed.
Submerged Soil - Soil that is underwater or is free seeping.
Type A – most stable (e.g., clay, silty clay, sandy clay, clay loam, and, in some cases, silty clay loam and sandy clay loam).
Type B – next most stable (e.g., angular gravel (like crushed rock), silt, silt loam, sandy loam, and, in some cases, silty clay loam and sandy clay loam).
Type C – least stable (e.g., Granular soils including gravel, sand, and loamy sand: or Submerged soil or soil from which water is freely seeping).
