The report by FOX 19, that a 61-year-old employee, Gregory Knopf, died after being trapped and crushed by a press machine is very disturbing. For a machine to turn on by itself during routine maintenance raises a lot of safety concerns and questions.
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The incident occurred around 9:45 a.m. on Monday, when emergency responders were called to the facility. The machine, which was undergoing maintenance at the time, reportedly malfunctioned and turned on, pinning the worker.
First responders worked hard to free him and performed life-saving measures before transporting him to the hospital. Sadly, Gregory Knopf was later pronounced dead. Authorities have confirmed that there were multiple witnesses to the accident. Currently investigations are ongoing and this includes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
But i am thinking:
@ 61, yes he may be very experienced but he should not be seen in such a high risk environment. It is not clear if he was actually involved in the maintenance. Safety is of high priority and for the employer being investigated, this is no different. But i know for sure this is totally prevetentable and i know there will be answers in the coming days after OSHA has completed its full Investigation into this incident.
Maintenance activities no matter how small, supposed to be controlled, planned, and safe. Machines don’t just turn on by accident not in situations like this. Maybe it was an energy isolation issue, Maybe the lockout procedure didn’t hold., Maybe there was a fault no one saw coming., Maybe it was human error, or maybe it was something deeper in the system.
