A wood chipper is one of the many pieces of machinery a worker could end up using in connection to their job. Like many pieces of large machinery, wood chippers have aspects that could pose serious dangers. A wood chipper’s sharp blades and powerful nature are two such aspects. Such things make it so mishaps involving wood chippers can cause major injuries for workers, such as amputations.
There are certain things that could increase the likelihood of a wood chipper mishap happening.
One is a worker not having the right information. It is very important for a worker who is using a wood chipper to be properly knowledgeable of the specifics of that chipper, how to use it properly and what safety measures to take when around it. So, it is critical for companies to give their workers appropriate training prior to having them operate this type of machinery.
Another thing that could lead to a wood chipper accident is a chipper being defective. So, it is important for employers and workers be on the lookout for possible defects. If a defect is detected, the wood chipper should be taken out of use until the problem is fixed.
Unfortunately, sometimes, a defect in a wood chipper or other piece of machinery isn’t detected until after it has already resulted in a worker getting hurt. Now, when a workplace accident occurs because a piece of machinery was defective, a hurt worker may have options beyond workers’ compensation. For one, they might be able to bring a product liability claim in relation to their injury. Experienced attorneys can help individuals hurt in workplace machinery mishaps with determining if they would have grounds for a product liability claim or other personal injury claim.
Source: Safety+Health, “The dangers of wood chippers,” Dec. 21, 2015
