Physics student dies in lab accident

[jtbell]

She caught her hair in a lathe in machine shop:

Yale Student Killed as Hair Gets Caught in Lathe (New York Times)

 

[Lacy33]

This of course is very sad. Was she a member of this community?
Condolences to her family, friends and school community.

 

[AlephZero]

You have to feel sorry for those she left behind, but it appears from the article this is the age-old problem: "Safety rules and regulations only apply to other people, I know better." Wrong, wrong, wrong!

 

[lisab]

You have to feel sorry for those she left behind, but it appears from the article this is the age-old problem: "Safety rules and regulations only apply to other people, I know better." Wrong, wrong, wrong!

What I learned at my work, as chair of the safety committee:

Technicians really "get it" - they work closely with hazards every day.

Top management understands the importance of a strong safety culture - they see it from a liability point of view.

But the folks in the middle of the organization chart, the scientists and engineers - sigh. That attitude of "Safety rules are for others" is rampant, and they resist change.

My condolences to this young woman's family, friends, and coworkers.

 

[Astronuc]

One cannot tell from the article the sequence of events. Perhaps she has a momentary lapse of judgement to use the lathe quickly without taking time to make appropriate preparations, such as tieing back her hair. It only takes an instant and it's over.

Such an event is sad, and certainly heart-breaking for family, friends and associates, and express my condolences to them.

When I use power tools or equipment, I'll wear safety glasses or visor, gloves, and possibly an apron as necessary. When I visit a manufacturing operation, if I wear a tie, I would put tie inside the shirt. I'd have to tie my hair back now. I'd probably have to wear a visor as well.

 

[Andre]

Very sad indeed.

I doubt if she or anybody in her environment has a mindset on safety. I think it's a question of culture. In an environment where a little carelessness has cost many lives and fortunes, like for instance air forces and airlines, there tends to be an iron safety culture -with rules written in blood- stressing the importance of precautionary measures ad nauseum.

But that's a lot better than explaining to relatives and friends how such a tragic accident could have happened.

 

[DaveC426913]

Ugh. That's awful.

It only takes an instant and it's over.

I would have thought that death would have been from massive head trauma or from fractured neck, but cause of death was ruled as "asphyxiation due to neck compression" which leads me to believe she was pinned to the machine and suffocated. I guess she was pinned in such as way as to be unable to reach the emergency shut off. Or she was knocked unconscious.

 

[ideasrule]

I've always been skeptical about girls with long hair in a machine shop. That seems like a perfect recipe for disaster. I notice Yale's regulations do say that hair should be tied up, and if she forgot to do that, it's completely her fault--you can't have loose hair beside an operating lathe and expect everything to be fine. Otherwise, freak accidents do happen even with reasonable safety precautions, so this one incident might not indicate any serious safety problems.

 

[DaveC426913]

I've always been skeptical about girls with long hair in a machine shop. That seems like a perfect recipe for disaster. I notice Yale's regulations do say that hair should be tied up, and if she forgot to do that, it's completely her fault--you can't have loose hair beside an operating lathe and expect everything to be fine. Otherwise, freak accidents do happen even with reasonable safety precautions, so this one incident might not indicate any serious safety problems.

I'd be more concerned about why she was in there late and unsupervised.

 

[ideasrule]

I'd be more concerned about why she was in there late and unsupervised.

Because she was building equipment for her senior thesis, and had already taken more than enough machine shop courses to be trusted in the workshop. I don't go to Yale, but my school has very similar rules: after taking a three-week machine shop course, you're free to go in whenever you want.

We're not talking about 12-year-olds here. A Yale senior "taking an advanced course on machine shop protocols this semester" shouldn't need to be supervised at all times, and one freak accident does not imply otherwise.

 

[lisab]

Because she was building equipment for her senior thesis, and had already taken more than enough machine shop courses to be trusted in the workshop. I don't go to Yale, but my school has very similar rules: after taking a three-week machine shop course, you're free to go in whenever you want.

We're not talking about 12-year-olds here. A Yale senior "taking an advanced course on machine shop protocols this semester" shouldn't need to be supervised at all times, and one freak accident does not imply otherwise.

Supervised, no. But I've never worked in a lab that allowed people to work alone with hazards that can kill you.

 

[cobalt124]

Supervised, no. But I've never worked in a lab that allowed people to work alone with hazards that can kill you.

My understanding for the U.K. is it doesn't even have to be a hazardous work environment. Certainly my (local government) employer does not allow people to work alone at all, just in case of heart attack for example. Of course this rule is serially flouted.

This is a tragic accident. Nobody should take Health and Safety for granted, but most do.

 

[Proton Soup]

ugh, sounds like she might have made it if she weren't alone.

 

[Borek]

I already posted about it yesterday in random thoughts - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Lake

 

[HeLiXe]

This is really very tragic and terribly sad.

 

[DaveC426913]

We're not talking about 12-year-olds here.

What lisab said:

Supervised, no. But I've never worked in a lab that allowed people to work alone with hazards that can kill you.

 

[AlephZero]

My understanding for the U.K. is it doesn't even have to be a hazardous work environment. Certainly my (local government) employer does not allow people to work alone at all, just in case of heart attack for example. Of course this rule is serially flouted.

Being found working alone in a machine shop would mean instant suspension from work pending an inquiry, and most likely dismissal, with my employers. That's not an unenforecable threat, since we have security staff on site 24/7 making regular patrols.

This is a tragic accident. Nobody should take Health and Safety for granted, but most do.

If I was running the inquiry into this accident, my first question would be "do you keep records of all informal and formal H&S warnings given for breaches of H&S practices, and if so how many warnings have you issued in the last 12 months".

If the answers are "no" or "yes and zero", then don't blame the victim, sack the entire H&S department. The argument that everyone doing dangerous things at that site was a perfectly behaved saint except on this one occasion wouldn't convince me.

 

[Astronuc]

I would have thought that death would have been from massive head trauma or from fractured neck, but cause of death was ruled as "asphyxiation due to neck compression" which leads me to believe she was pinned to the machine and suffocated. I guess she was pinned in such as way as to be unable to reach the emergency shut off. Or she was knocked unconscious.

It's possible that it broke her neck, and her spinal chord was pinched such that her respiration stopped. If the lathe was turning fast and had a lot of torque, then it would have been quick. It also could have pinned on the machine.

Even with a course in machinery, I doubt she had a lot of experience. Craftspersons tend to be very careful with machinery - at least from what I've observed.

 

[Newai]

She's in this video for the Yale Drop Team.

We see her at the first startling moment of weightlessness, and looking in at scientific instruments and being spun in weightlessness, and happily doing push-ups. She found joy in scientific discovery.

http://www.necn.com/04/13/11/Yale-student-dies-in-machine-shop-accide/landing_newengland.html?blockID=503406&feedID=4206

 

[Ouabache]

When I use power tools or equipment, I'll wear safety glasses or visor, gloves, and possibly an apron as necessary. When I visit a manufacturing operation, if I wear a tie, I would put tie inside the shirt. I'd have to tie my hair back now. I'd probably have to wear a visor as well.

Can facial hair become caught in equipment ? (Perhaps a welders helmet would be useful)

At the university, I did custom machine work for my grad research (as well as other side projects fabrication, tuning antennas). As any graduate student (or upperclassman) can attest, we do our work when needed, 24hrs/dy as deadlines approach. When you're tired, we need to be especially careful.. One bleary eyed time, in the wee hours of the morning, as I was working on a course project, i picked up my soldering iron backwards, Ouch! , not a pleasant experience..

These tragic accidents are a strong reminder to be extra diligent when it comes to safety precautions on any power equipment, machine shop or otherwise (table-saws, chain-saws, power-mower...)

 

[Astronuc]

I used to work in the lab during the night. There was no one else.

On the other hand, my work didn't really require tools like a lathe.


Ideally, one does not get one's face too close to a work piece, so a beard shouldn't get in the machinery. I know of one guy whose beard was down to his waist. Mine only gets halfway - and only if I pull on the hairs. My beard is relatively curly (or perhaps wavy) as hair goes.

I occasionally get beard hairs caught in things. I lose a few now and then.

 

[JaredJames]

I occasionally get beard hairs caught in things. I lose a few now and then.

Hmm, remind me to take care if I ever share food with you...

Whenever around such devices you should take utmost care.

 

[Ouabache]

As a physics student, I wonder if she was a member of PF?
(perhaps someone can check our registration book).

 

[ideasrule]

As a physics student, I wonder if she was a member of PF?
(perhaps someone can check our registration book).

I wonder how many percent of physics students are members of PF. I think the percentage is extremely low, especially if we exclude those who ask one question and never use their accounts again.

 

[DaveC426913]

Can facial hair become caught in equipment ?

Well, mine can...

[PLAIN]http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/70309_746315519_3478168_n.jpg

 

[chronon]

I would guess that there would have been a lot of safety instruction related to the 'sciency' things she did, most of which could be safely ignored. When it comes to more everyday things such as workshop equipment the attitude should be 'this is where the dangers really are'.

 

[Ouabache]

I would guess that there would have been a lot of safety instruction related to the 'sciency' things she did, most of which could be safely ignored. When it comes to more everyday things such as workshop equipment the attitude should be 'this is where the dangers really are'.

I remember working with a lathe at college. I was shown how to use it by another researcher who also taught me how to use a milling machine (where I spent many hours). One time I accidentally left the chuck key in the lathe spindle and subsequently noticed it fling across the room. Luckily I was not in its path. That taught me great respect, how dangerous a lathe can be. I did have safety goggles on, however a kevlar vest and helmet would have been more useful.

I was perusing some related articles, it was mentioned, OSHA safety precautions are taken much more seriously at companies compared with academia. Having been in both arenas, I have to agree.

For example, here's another university accident.
In 2008, a http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/lab-assistant-dies-of-injuries-78543.aspx" was working with t-butyl lithium in the lab. She accidentally caught herself on fire and it engulfed her clothes. She had 3rd degree burns on 40% of her body and died within two weeks. With stricter precautions, could this tragedy been averted?

 

[cobalt124]

If the answers are "no" or "yes and zero", then don't blame the victim, sack the entire H&S department.

Yep. There is also the danger that the whole H&S thing becomes a box ticking exercise and not, well, Health and Safety.

One time I accidentally left the chuck key in the lathe spindle and subsequently watched it spin and fling across the room.

You reminded me. I did exactly the same thing as a fourteen year old in class on a lathe with permission, but unsupervised. I managed to miss half a class crowded around the lathe. The chuck key went low not high. I learned my lesson though, I feel ill thinking about it even now.

 

[Vanadium 50]

One needs to be careful what one concludes about a single point.

The annual fatality rate among machinists is 18.5/100K. There are maybe a quarter million STEM majors at anyone time. When was the time before this when you last heard of a student machine shop fatality?

This is tragic, but I think we don't have nearly enough facts yet to pin the blame on Yale.

As far as "OSHA safety precautions are taken much more seriously at companies compared with academia", my experience is that this is very department-dependent. In one university of my acquaintance, the biggest ES&H problems come from the Art department. They think nothing of pouring a gallon of paint thinner down the drain, while in Chemistry, this would get you fired. A budding sculptor decides he wants to weld, he just grabs some equipment and goes at it.

 

[AlephZero]

One needs to be careful what one concludes about a single point.

The annual fatality rate among machinists is 18.5/100K. There are maybe a quarter million STEM majors at anyone time. When was the time before this when you last heard of a student machine shop fatality?

If you are going to use statistics, you need to factor the rate for the amount of time spent operating the equipment For somebody employed as a machinist, that would be maybe 30 hours a week on average, allowing for machine setup time etc. For students, to use the "quarter million" figure you need to average the shop time over their whole period of education. My guess is the average over all STEM students, including those who never do any shop work at all) would be less than 1 hour a week. Possibly, much less than 1 hour.

At 1/30 of the accident rate of full-time machinists, that is "only" 1.5 fatalities per year among students.

Come to that, many fatalities among machinists do you ever hear about, except for the ones in your family's home town? This isn't "news", any more than 50,000 deaths a year in road accidents is news, unless they are unusual in some way - which this one was.