201262 Hand injury from pneumatic needle gun

Whilst carrying out chipping / descaling / derusting operations on deck with a pneumatic hammer, a crewmember was trying to direct the tool into a crevice of a deck structure while it was running. Due to inattention, he inadvertently placed his finger in way of the needles. He reported the incident only after the finger had become painful and swollen.

Result of investigation
1 Proper PPE was in use;
2 A momentary lapse in concentration resulted in the finger coming into a hazardous zone;
3 Difficult access to a restricted space requiring the operator to manually guide the needle gun.

Lessons learnt
1 It is important not to lose concentration when operating power tools and to keep body parts away from exposed moving components;
2 The operator must never grip the needle guide of a running pneumatic needle or chisel hammer gun;
3 Incidents must be reported as soon as they occur.