San Anselmo meat-cutter who was mangled by grinder says he still has his arm

we have the same set up, mixer mincer (grinder) wont operate unless the lid is closed - slows the guys down a bit, but its much safer.

-- Edited by Pink Lake Butchers on Thursday 15th of August 2013 08:01:15 PM

.Our grinder has a magnetic safety switch that won't allow it to run unless the lid is closed.

FDarn,

   If you have the natural skill to be a journeyman meat cutter, I'd think you also have the ability to be a welder, pipefitter, lathe operator, machinist, or heavy equipment operator.  I urge you to explore those opportunities and the trade schools available to prepare you. The trades I listed pay 2-3 times what journeyman meat cutter jobs pay .Just sayin'.  These jobs are out there and going begging.

Jim

Where was the guard on the grinder? It is put on there for a reason. If it was taken off, then whoever used it was asking for trouble and found it. The manager should have insisted it be put back on or found another job. I worked in a shop that was the same way. I refused to run the grinder, got written up, took it to OSHA and the UFCW, manager got fired and guard put back on. It is not worth the job or the risk; move on or quit. I eventually came back to that shop as manager, then as district supervisor. You either stand your ground and stand up for what's right or get used and abused. Just like ground meat - common practice in my day was to grind half-rotten pork trimmings into the early grinds on Saturdays when the inspector wouldn't be taking samples. I did it once, asked another (honest) manager and he said to refuse. So next time I went back to that shop I refused and got written up. Told the store manager what I'd been asked to do, he said to 'play ball'. Went to the meat supervisor, he told the District supervisor, the manager got reduced to cutter and quit, never got asked again, and store manager got reduced to night stock boy and quit. There is no longer room for such practices today.

I have been cutting meat for 40 plus years. Raised 6 great kids always made a good living both as an emplyee and as a owner operator. Other than losing a finger been pretty much ouch free. If you have to be told to cut/ work safe then you most likely should do something different. Although I hope this young man heals up good! There is simply not another profession as rewarding as a meat cutter / butcher. When someone tells you " that is the best ham , bacon , or sausage they have ever had.....and you made it......well maybe you have not expierienced such compliments..... Proud of this trade as an owner of the best old fashion butcher shop on the oregon coast! GIDDYUP!

There is a thin line between an accident, and an injury occurring as the result of negligence, either on the part of the operator, or ( usually ) the owner of the machine. An accident is something unforeseen or unpredictable. A negligent injury is the result of unsafe conditions, such as any machinery having a safety device known to be defective or missing.
It has taken me a few days to even respond to this incident. I’m glad to hear this cutter still has his arm and fingers. He is indeed very, very fortunate.
There are so many issues here I’m not too sure where to begin, so I’ll just bounce around and try to cover them all. I’m sure we can all agree that meat grinder injuries are some of the worst in the industry and nobody needs to have a run-in with a grinder. So here goes
1. Most straight meat grinders have safety guards, or safety switches ( interlocking or magnetic ) that prevent them from starting or continuing to run without safety features in place. Grinder should either have a safety guard permanently attached to the cylinder, or to the feed tray of a size opening , and at a distance from the auger ( worm gear ) that a person cannot reach in and cause injury to himself. Some of the older grinders still being used were manufactured before safety guards were required. Check yours. If it doesn’t have a safety guard, repair or replace it.
2. Most mixer grinders also have lid switches that stop both the worm and the paddles from turning if the lid is opened about 3 to4 inches, lid should lock when closed. Lid must be attached to grinder. ( as dumb as this sounds there have been cases where the lid has broken off and somebody by-passed the safety switch allowing the grinder to operate without the lid. ) Also, do not by-pass safety switch to allow grinder to run with the lid open.
3. Safety devices are there for a reason, use them. They cannot prevent an injury if they are missing or defective. If you know of any machine with non-functioning safety features, report it, either to your union, supervisor or to OSHA. If you work for a chain store, do not stop moving up the chain of command until you reach somebody that listens and has the clout to get it fixed. Your store/dept. mgr. might be a bonehead, but the last thing corporate HQ wants is a mega buck liability law suit, or an employee that allows a dangerous condition to exist and go unreported. If you work at an independent store, you can go to OSHA if the owner doesn’t correct it, but it might be hard to stay there. You have to decide if you want to stay or move on. Take pictures, document any conversations you have ( names, dates, time and place, specific topics, make and model of machine in question ) regarding any safety issues. Report safety issues until they are resolved, do not stop, it’s your blood, not theirs.
4. CAL-OSHA ? Six months to investigate ? The grinder the guy got hurt on could be swapped out or have any violations repaired to meet their inspection in that period of time. They should have had a man on site in 24-48 hours. How many other similar incidents can occur between now and then ?
5. Check your insurance policy. Who is responsible for maintaining your machinery once it is in your store? Will they cover an injury, or only an accident ? Some insurance companies will not cover unsafe conditions. Does yours ? I’ve had guys lose their businesses or their homes from a single uncovered incident. Don’t let it happen to you.
6. Turn off power to any machinery before cleaning. Water and electricity don’t mix. Don’t try to save time by hosing down a machine while it is running.
Many injuries are preventable with a little foresight and awareness. Machines can be repaired, people can’t.
can’t. Don’t be on the receiving of bad news from a doctor, an attorney or in a court of law. Make sure any machines you own, or work on, are safe to work on.
When you follow the rules and use common sense you can create a safer workplace. Here are a few examples of what can happen if you don’t. ( If you’re squeamish stop reading now. )
Old family shop had an older 22 grinder ( pre safety guards ) when the old style wooden stomper wore out so many years ago they started to use a piece of sugar cane to push the meat down instead of a plastic stomper “ The grinder still works and that’s the way we’ve always done it “ One day their 8 year old child was laughing as the piece of sugar cane got smaller and smaller she lost her arm above the elbow.
Independent supermarket had a 32 straight grinder it had a guard but it wasn’t permanently attached just hooked on “ It only pops off if you bang it real hard “ Clean up time young butcher < 1 year stood on a milk crate lost his balance knee hits switch hand bangs guard guard pops off lost his hand.
Chain store mixer grinder broken switch allowed machine to run with lid fully open it was reported “I told them a couple of weeks ago but they haven’t fixed it yet “ “ It’s the end of the fiscal year there’s no money we’ll fix it next quarter “ ( mgmt. bonuses were involved here ) 12 year butcher empties 2 lugs of trimmings into the hopper then his cigarette falls in he reaches in to get it out before it ruins the load but steps on the footswitch when he does although he lost his fingers he still has his arm and a piece of thumb he just can’t move them
Wholesaler owner over 35 years of experience bought a brand new 52 straight grinder immediately cuts off the safety guard “ It gets in my way I don’t want to cut the meat that small ( less than 2” to fit under guard ) I want to put bigger pieces in it’s faster my way“ 3 days later he lost it all after they got him out of the grinder he saw what was left of his arm heart attack never made the hospital
These were just a few of the incidents over the years. An infinite combination of events occurs in the workplace every day, make yours as safe as possible.
Funny thing about accidents, it takes a lot of work for them to not happen, and nobody notices.
Work safe everyone.

This is an excellent post Bob. I hope everyone reads and heeds it.

Lots of guys used to run the tops open by placing a magnet in the right place. I saw a guys sleeve get caught by the inner arm while it was goin. He never had use of his arm again. Company got hit big time with OSHA. The guy got some $$ and signed off never to talk to any one (esp. lawyers). Newer models of grinders today have more than one type of fault switch to prevent tampering..

Thank you Jim    I can only put the info out there   now it’s up to the cutters in the workplace to protect themselves    Yeah the 70’s  much less safety   many more injuries   that’s a big reason for a lot of the safety devices we have today   make sure they work the way they are designed to   be safe  not sorry  I can’t say that too many times

Same goes for the grinder should it be unplugged also.

Doc, I like that!  Another analogy we used to make though not related to this thread is:

"One difference between doctors and meat cutters is they bury their mistakes but we grind ours."

-- Edited by jimhenry2000 on Wednesday 21st of August 2013 07:43:51 PM

OOPS ! Something didn't paste and copy   The part on pg. 2 should read  DO NOT use this machine to cut pigs feet.