On April 12, a 51-year-old man working at a packaging plant was killed due to traumatic brain injury. He was operating a baler, a machine used to make paper, hay or cotton into bales. The baler became full and during an effort to close the baler door, the worker was killed.
The accident took place at ISOFlex Packaging, a plastics manufacturer east of downtown Nashville.
WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS ON THE RISE IN TENNESSEE
The Administrator of the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) urges employers and employees to pay special attention to workplace safety moving forward. According to TOSHA, 22 workers died during the first seven months of 2016. Compared to 2014, the number of workplace deaths in Tennessee rose by more than one-third.
The main cause of workplace fatalities in 2015 were due to falls or being struck by objects. The majority of these deaths occurred in manufacturing, with a small percentage occurring in construction. In 2016, nearly half of workplace deaths in Tennessee took place on construction sites.
HOW TOSHA RECOMMENDS EMPLOYERS FIGHT WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS
- Conduct safety and health meetings to train workers to identify and correct dangerous work conditions
- Pledge to work together as a team to prevent workplace accidents
- Implement safety and health programs with full employee involvement
- Encourage accident prevention and reporting. Many minor injuries go unreported. If these injuries are reported, the causes can be addressed, potentially preventing more serious injuries later on.
- Increase attention to vulnerable workers, such as temporary workers or those who do not speak English.
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”