Posted By D smith Hi guys Had a guy splash suds(mixture of oil and water) in his face on a cnc machine, he wore protective glasses but it went over the top of the eye protection into his eyes, his eyes reddened (visibly) and caused him pain so he had to take most of yesterday off unpaid, are our company liable in any way? do we have to pay him? thanks in advance

Posted By D smith no there is no alternative to suds this has to be used.

Posted By Ali ....wouldn't a spray bottle applicator have been less hazardous ? At least it is easier to direct (i.e away from the eyes).

Posted By Mitch As pointed out is the PPE suitable for the task being carried out, I am assuming he was filling the reservoir, was this directly (as intended) or pouring over the suds bed as is normal practise. From your description of the reaction I would have thought a visit to the walk in centre, local A&E would have been in order. Mitch

Posted By D smith he was cleaning the area with an airgun to measure the part, when the suds splashed up in his face

Posted By D smith yes been risk assessed says "Chemical Safety Glasses with side shields must be worn when decanting or splashes are likely to occur." (taken from safety data sheet) The glasses did have side shields and doesnt mention goggles.

Posted By D smith If anybody could give me some ideas onwhat Chris Packham has said i would be very grateful, but find it hard to believe it can be done in any other way, were talking about minuscule tolerances here so the part has to be spotless when measured.

Posted By Mitch What Chris is saying is, "This procedure should be stopped at once or suitable control measures introduced immediately to eliminate the possibility of facial/eye/inhalation exposure." You are not assessing drops or splashes but airborne mist which will can get in to the body via the skin, eyes or inhalation. The best control measure for this would be to introduce mechanical cleaning of the parts prior to measuring i.e a dry cloth! Mitch

Posted By holmezy Mr Smith, I spent many a happy day operating a cnc lathe in my murky past and would suggest that your chap didnt do anything that thousands of cnc operators do every day. The problems are that by using an air gun to blow away the coolant, then you are in danger, as Mr Packham said, of creating an aerosol which could be inhaled and cause lung function problems, or could contact with the facial skin and cause contact dermititis. Both these conditions could lead to sensitisation, ie an "allergic" reaction to contact with not only the oils found in the coolant, but also other oils or substances. So, using compressed air is not a good way of cleaning the component prior to measuring. If it has to be done then at least reduce the air pressure so that it moves most of the coolant, then wipe with an absorbent cloth which should be disposed of daily. The very nature of hi-speed machining and use of coolant, sometimes at hi pressure, will cause a certain amount of aerosol due to the cutting process and droplets being flung to the outer guards or compound etc and normally its not a problem. You should make the operators aware of any hazards and tell him to report any symptoms. The condition of the coolant also has an effect, if its old and smelly or of the wrong concentration, other skin problems could occur. It will also not have the full effect on the cutting and cooling procees so will lead to excessive tool wear and poor surface finish. Regular use of a refractometer and regular coolant changes are required. If you consider that there is a significant risk of coolant entering the eyes under normal conditions then issue him with a visor to use when he is cleaning down, otherwise safety specs should be adequate even though he should be protected from ejected particles by the machine guards which fully enclose the machine. If its a modified lathe with cnc cpability added then either further guarding is required or safety specs always. As for paying him when he's off, well thats down to your company policy regarding accidents at work. Your insurance company only need to get involved if there is a subsequent claim. Chris is absolutely correct in what he says, and is an expert in his field, however, and no dis-respect intended, follow his lead and every machine operator would be dressed like Darth Vader, complete with built in RPE. So, unless the operator is showing signs of dermitits or skin problems, make sure they wear safety specs, the vast majority will be OK. If they do show signs of dermitis etc then they may need to be treated different. Thats what I'd do........... Holmezy

Posted By Ron Hunter I take the original question to be "do we have to pay him". That is entirely dependent on the contract of employment. Is the organisational liable? The Courts will decide that on the basis of all the evidence - which we don't have.

Posted By D smith Thanks all your answers have been very helpful, would an accident investigation need to be done on this?

Posted By David Bannister Yes to an investigation. You need to know the facts of what happened and whether this scenario was identified in your original risk assessment. If it was, your conclusion and controls may need to be amended. If not then it needs to be done now, with suitable controls implemented.

Posted By Chris Packham I come back to my earlier comment. Is the eye damage serious? If it is just a short term redness and pain, with no long term effect, then yes, you would almost certainly be liable (provided he had not circumvented and of your protective measures), but the compensation would be very small. However, how do you know if there are any long term consequences for him from what happened? This is where I would want to involve an occupational physician, who might, himself, wish to refer to a consultant opthalmologist, to: a) check whether there are any long term implications, and b) ensure that, if appropriate, the right treatment is given. If you are liable, then you will at least have shown that you have taken all practicable steps to minimise the consequences. If not, then just consider what happened to Photo-Me! Chris

Posted By Alan Nicholls From the original post, He splashed suds in his eye. No mention of guards etc, if he was cleaning a component with a blow down gun the machinery was stopped,no guard required, the process could be milling drilling or boreing, therefore suds can collect in holes or voids in components. Short of removing the work piece tipping and turning it to remove suds, an air line is the only easy reduced pressure of course 30psi with nozzle breaks. The operator may not have been aware of the impending consequences at the time he operated the air gun. I hope he was treated promptly. An accident, an unplanned unwanted occurrence. Just had to deal with similar problem. Fill out an accident form,investigate,record your findings then work out how to stop it happening again if you can. Contractor or full employee I would show good will and pay the guy. MY CHOICE. Good luck Alan N