A 35 year old man was fortunate to sustain moderate injuries only after he fell about 5 meters into a secluded area off a ladder earlier this afternoon.

The man had allegedly lost consciousness,but was able to call for help once he regained consciousness. The man was allegedly laying at the foot of the ladder for a hour and and half before receiving any medical attention.

When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they treated the man for suspected injuries to his back and neck as well as a suspected broken arm. He was later transported to a nearby medical facility for further medical care.

Andre Visser, ER24

PIETERMARITZBURG 09 November 2011, 16:30

ER24 paramedics responded to a factory in Willowton this afternoon after a man sustained chemical burns.

The cause of the incident is unknown, but the man later told paramedics that he was mixing two chemicals when a reaction occurred. The man told paramedics that the chemicals started to fizz before spewing onto his body.

The 31 year old man sustained severe burns to his right arm and foot as well as his chest and was in severe pain. Paramedics treated the man at the scene before transporting him to Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg for further medical care.

Andre Visser, ER24

5 young men, aged in their late 20′s to early 30′s, have been injured after a furnace is believed to have exploded at a factory on Industry Road in Springs.

The details surrounding the alleged explosion are not clear, but the furnace was ripped apart throwing the 5 workers to the ground. Not only had they sustained injuries due to shrapnel from the furnace surrounding, they had also sustained multiple injuries from their fall due to the force of the explosion, as well as burn wounds from the hot substance housed in the furnace. It appears that it was some form of metal substance that was being melted in the furnace.

Two of the patients required advanced life support treatment, and were given medication for pain, while the other 3 sustained moderate injuries. The patients were treated on scene, stabilised accordingly and transported to a nearby hospital for further medical care.

The safety officials of the company will be investigating the cause of the incident.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

One man has sustained a severe injury to his hand in a factory earlier this afternoon.

The worker aged 39 was allegedly cleaning a piece of machinery when he tried to collect something behind the machines rolling mechanism. The man’s hand was then caught in the rolling mechanism and crushed by the two rollers.

When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they found the man in the care of the local fire and rescue services. The man was still stuck in the machine as rescue workers looked for a way to free the worker. The man was in severe pain.

Once freed from the machine the man was treated for severe crushing injuries to his left hand. He was transported to Kuilsrivier hospital for further medical care. The appropriate facility will be investigating the incident further.

Andre Visser, ER24

Also view:

Choosing between different types of safety gloves for the mining industry

Preventing hand injuries

BRACKENFELL 19 October 2011, 15:30

A serious incident occurred this afternoon in which a construction worker died after falling into a trench.

ER24 paramedics were dispatched to the construction site off Okovango road. At the building site they found a construction worker at the bottom of a 3 meter deep trench. According to witnesses the man had allegedly been walking next to the trench when the ground gave away under him. The man was allegedly entrapped between two pillars in the trench and colleague’s had rushed to his aid to free the man.

The man, aged 26, had sustained severe crushing injuries and was later declared dead at the scene. Local law enforcement authorities who attended the scene will be investigating the incident further.

Andre Visser, ER24

A home in Helderkruin, Roodepoort at the corners of Dakota and Bankett Road, has been ripped apart this morning by an apparent explosion.

The 31 year old man who was alone in the bedroom at the time and was extensively injured; he needed immediate treatment of burn injuries to his face, arms, chest and legs. He was found still on the first floor of the house, and was stabilised as far as possible before he was taken to the waiting ambulance. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was called in to assist with rapid transportation of the man to hospital.

It is not clear as to the exact cause of the explosion that cause such extensive damage to the structure of the house, but it is believed that there was some sort of large cylinder in the bedroom that the man was occupying. The necessary authorities will conduct their investigations into the cause of the explosion.

The man’s girlfriend and two children were fortunately not at home at the time of the incident and the 31 year old was the only one injured.

The neighbours explained that they could feel the force of the explosion, causing the walls in their homes to shake.

The man was airlifted to the Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

PETRUS STEYN 18 October 2011, 13:00

A serious incident occurred this afternoon on a farm a few kilometres from Petrus Stein. A group of workers were allegedly repairing a barn roof when the incident occured. The workers were working from 3 meter high scaffolding at the time.

The events that followed are unknown, but 1 of the workers had fallen from the scaffolding sustaining severe injuries.

When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they found the worker at the foot of the scaffolding. The man was treated for a head injury as well as a suspected back and neck injury before being transported to Mediclinic Hoogland for further medical care.

Andre Visser, ER24

When we reflect on accidents and injury we tend to think of cuts, broken bones and blood. We however neglect the risk of other injury that might be less visible – such as that of hearing loss!

Accidents or risks at the workplace that result in loss of hearing might be more threatening to the health of workers as the damage might be more difficult to recover from!

Our Partner site at MiningSafety.co.za has made available a section of content titled “Noise-induced hearing loss protection and Mining Safety”. The suggestions and advice provided is important for many working environments outside the mining industry , and we would like to share some of these suggestions:

Avoiding and reducing exposure to noise induced hearing loss

• Engineering Controls – Apply engineering controls at the noise source or along the noise path to reduce exposures. These controls may include vibration dampeners, absorptive panels, barriers, muffler, or variations in force or drive speed of motors.
• Maintenance – Perform regular maintenance on machinery to prevent additional noise.
• Administrative – Implement administrative controls to limit the exposure time for employees. These controls may include rotating employees in noisy areas, providing quiet breaks for noise-exposed employees, or moving processes such as maintenance or cleaning to quieter workshifts.
• Buy Quiet – Purchase new products or machinery with enhanced noise control.
• Maintain – Noise is often a machine’s cry for maintenance. Repairs can reduce noise levels.
• Block or Isolate the Source – Erect barriers, or relocate noisy equipment (or their operators) behind heavy walls. Doubling the distance from a noisy piece of equipment effectively reduces the sound energy by half (about a 3 dB drop in noise level).
• Schedule Employees – Administrative controls include such actions as giving noise-exposed employees breaks in quiet areas, or rotating employees into noisy jobs for short durations.

For more info view:

“Noise-induced hearing loss protection and Mining Safety”.

According to people at the scene, the man was mixing some form of chemicals and they allegedly ignited and he tried to avoid the flames in his face and quickly turned away. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough to completely avoid the flames, and his back and arms were extensively burnt.

ER24 paramedics along with the Life Fourways Advanced Life Support Paramedic initiated treatment on the injured man. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was called in to assist with transportation of the man to hospital due to the extent of the burns that he had sustained. He was airlifted to the George Muhkari Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa where he will receive further treatment.

No one else was injured in the incident and it will need to be investigated by the Safety Officer of the factory.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

One man has died and another is in a serious condition after an explosion occurred at a scrap yard in Mosselbay.

Two men were allegedly busy cutting an unknown cylinder when an unknown gas ignited causing an explosion. The two men working on the cylinder were thrown off of their feet.

When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene the two men were being attended to by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services. According to on-scene paramedics the one man had sustained severe injuries in the form of facial trauma and an amputated leg. He was declared dead whilst being transported to the hospital.

The second man had sustained a severe injury to his leg and was treated on the scene before being transported to hospital. Three other individuals who had allegedly witnessed the explosion received on-scene treatment by ER24 paramedics for psychological shock, before being transported to a nearby medical facility.

Local authorities who attended the scene will be investigating the incident further.

ER24