Hand Injuries at Work

Where I work, we deal with several different pinch points and constrained spaces. We also deal with a lot of moving equipment, so the dangers exist in regards to potential injuries. I was standing above this rather large bin into which a conveyor belt drops material into. The conveyor stopped because a roller which has a sensor on it stopped moving. A bunch of dirt had built up around it, so I had to take a hose and spray water around the roller to remove the dirt build-up to get the conveyor going again. In front of this roller, a spray bar had been installed, but it wasn't doing a very good job in keeping the dirt build-up at bay (a spray bar is basically a pipe with nozzles installed on it to keep a conveyor pan free of dirt and mud). So I went to temporarily remove the spray bar, but it was stuck in the mud. I quickly yanked up on the spray bar when I caught by thumb on some metal that was sticking out. Instant pain. The white part of my thumbnail has a rather large blue spot on it and its still quite sore. I imagine it will be sore for a few days if not longer. But I can guarantee its not broken, otherwise I know it'd be in excruciating pain. Still, it's no fun to have a hand injury.

This isn't the first time I've gotten fingers bruised. It seems like it was only three or four months ago when I suffered a similar injury with the middle finger on my right hand. I've pinched fingers against a bar and a wall while trying to unclog a feeder and I've even jammed a thumb while yanking on a chain valve to open it. Finger and hand injuries are common in the line of work that I do. Luckily and thankfully, I have yet to break a finger - and its not something I'd want. Hopefully I can keep these injuries to a minimum and try to be more careful on the job.

Our department has a nice streak going for it, though. We are currently three years and two months since we've last experienced a lost-time accident. A lost-time accident consists of an employee being injured on the job and being out of work for a day or more because of that injury. The last time it happened was when an individual fell through an opening in the floor. Luckily he survived but was severely injured and missed quite a bit of time from work. He's back to work but he still experiences discomfort from the injuries he suffered in the fall. The sad part about that particular incident was that this employee basically fell right into a trap. The area around the hole in the floor had not been barricaded off. A maintenance employee lifted a covering off the hole and had left the area. Thus, leading to the individual in our department falling about ten feet to the level below. Certainly a scary situation and hopefully one that none of us will have to encounter in the future.

So it's easy to see how a person can get hurt while working at a mine. After all, we do wear hardhats in case falling objects hit us in the head. But they're mainly there in case we bump our heads into anything, because we certainly do have our fair share of constrained areas. Mining is not for everyone. It's hot, dirty, there's a potential for injury, and there's often a lot of heavy lifting. It's not glamorous that's for sure. At least it pays well; or I should say, it better pay well, anyways.