Roy Linn
Montana State University Extension Service
Portable
augers are among the most dangerous pieces of equipment on
the farmstead (see Figure 1). Due to their size, most are
difficult to maneuver. Whenever a large auger is moved, it
should be lowered to its transport position. When at the use
site, it can be raised to its proper operating height.
Most
auger accidents are operator-caused. Only persons authorized
to operate the auger or elevator should be in the work area.
To help reduce accidents, the operator should be in the work
area. To help reduce accidents, the operator should wear clothing
that is snug fitting without any loose thread or string that
could become entangled in belts or drives. Footwear should
be well fitting with a non-skid sole. Always make sure guards
and shields are in place when the equipment is running.
During
a recent year, power take-off accidents in Montana resulted
in the loss of a leg at the knee, an arm at the shoulder and
extensive head, neck and spine damage. These injuries will
reduce the efficiency of these people for the rest of their
lives.
There
are a number of types of accidents that can occur with the
operation of an elevator or auger. Both produce similar types
of injuries. Auger accidents usually include:
- Contact
with or entanglement in the exposed screw at the intake.
- Entanglement
in a belt drive.
- Being
struck by an uncontrolled spinning crank that is used to
raise or lower the auger.
- Entanglement
in a PTO drive shaft.
- The
raised upper end coming in contact with overhead high power
wire.
- Multiple
injuries or fatalities may result if the auger comes in
contact with an overhead power line. Lacerations, fractures
and amputations are typical of auger-related injuries.
The
portable auger is the major cause of farm-related amputations.
Severe lacerations or amputations that result from contact
with the auger screw are caused by it's high-speed cutting
actions. Such accidents usually result in considerable loss
of blood. Stoppage of bleeding, important in all accidents,
is extremely important in auger accidents. The primary concerns
for accidents that involve amputation or severe lacerations
are the time the person has been in the machine and extrication
o the victim. The body part may have been pulled far enough
into the auger so that it is hard to reach the wound for direct
pressure. It may be necessary to use pressure-point techniques
to stop the blood flow.
When
at the accident, secure all equipment involved in the accident
to ensure that it cannot be started automatically. This may
require shutting off the tractor, locking out all electrical
circuits that operate electric motors or removing the spark
plug wire from small gasoline engines.
To remove
the victim from an auger, if in it's raised position, lower
it slowly, using extreme care. Letting the crank handle get
out of control may allow the auger to fall to a collapsed
position, which may increase the injury or injure someone
else.
Determine
the approximate location of the part of the body that is in
the auger. If penetration of the victim's limb is minimal,
the auger sometimes can be turned backward to relieve the
pressure. Sometimes this can be done by hand. If not, a bar
placed in the power drive unit yoke, or a pipe wrench may
be required to rotate the auger counterclockwise. If it is
not possible to reverse the auger, use a portable air chisel
to cut away the metal housing or shielding to expose the limb.
Use o an acetylene torch requires extreme caution, fire extinguishers
and protection for the victim. After the auger screw and limb
are exposed, there is less danger of added injury during extraction
of the person caught in the auger.
If the
accident is caused by contact of the auger or elevator with
an overhead power line, the rescue requires extreme concentration
and caution. The auger or elevator may still be in contact
with the power line, and remain energized. Victims still in
contact with the energized auger or elevator must be removed
by shoving them away with a dry stick or a board or pulling
them away with a non-conducting piece of cloth or rope. It
would be a good idea for the rescuer to have rubber-soled
footwear and rubber or plastic gloves. As soon as the victim
is free from the electrically charged equipment, treatment
must commence.
If the
victim is not breathing, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
procedures should be initiated immediately. Ventricular fibrillation
or cardiac standstill also may require CPR. The victim probably
will have burns at points where the electrical current entered
and exited. The injury damage at these points, however, usually
is considered to be a secondary wound because there usually
is little or no bleeding due to cauterization of the wounds
by the electrical current. Rubbersoled shoes o plastic or
rubber gloves worn by the person trying to rescue the victim
may not be adequate to protect against electrocution. Therefore,
a person attempting to rescue the victim of an accident involving
electricity must use extreme care not to touch victims until
they are completely away from the auger or elevator. It is
far better for the rescuer to obtain help from a person trained
in handling high-voltage power.
PTO
drive lines on augers and elevators can cause the same types
of injuries that occur with such other power take-off drive
units as those on a baler, manure spreader or rock picker.
Such injuries may consist of broken arms or legs, amputations,
lacerations and even tearing large areas of skin and flesh
from the body. The main type of injury in accidents that involve
elevators is a victim caught by the power line drive unit.
For rescue details see MontGuide 8701A, Power Take-off Accident
Victim Rescue.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This document
is
MT
8702
,
a series of the Montana State University Extension. Publication
date: February 1987.
Roy
Linn, Energy Specialist. Montana State University Extension,
Bozeman, Montana 59717.
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