Finding ways to make hand tools more efficient has been the focus of industrial workers for centuries. Historical records, for instance, have Egyptians creating the first known power tool with a lathe driven by a bow that was pulled backed and released to increase its energy and force. For more, read “The History of Power Tools,” published by Motorhead on August 25, 2020.
In modern times, there are several different types of energy sources available for use in industrial power tools, both stationary or portable. Workers in Indiana and Illinois employed in our construction, mining, mills, agri-business, warehousing, rail, trucking, and manufacturing all need to be aware of the dangers they face with the use of any power tool. These are dangerous implements that can cause life-altering injuries or death in an instant. For more, read Hand and Power Tools: the Danger of Serious Work Accident Injuries.
Workers should also be aware of the risks they face from not just the tools themselves, but the tool’s particular power source. Catastrophic or deadly work accidents are also caused by the various hazards of the power sources.
These deaths can happen in mere seconds. One tragic example reported by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): several years ago, unaware of the power source danger, a construction worker died from electrocution while using an electricity-powered saw to cut through sheetrock. The incident involved several extension cords without grounding pins along with a power strip and outlet, and an “inadequate splice” in the tool’s cord, among other things. From OSHA’s Accident Report Detail:
Employee #1 was using a refurbished, double insulated Bosch Rotozip saw, model 4351, to cut holes in the sheetrock ceiling of a residential home under construction. The cord of the tool had an inadequate splice in it. The tool was plugged into a 120-volt extension cord which was plugged into a power strip. The power strip was connected to a series of three extension cords that went to an outlet located in the house next door. The outlet was equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). The extension cords between the power strip and the outlet were missing their grounding pins. Employee #1 wrapped the extension cord that powered the saw around his neck so that the plug where the power tool was connected was resting on the left side of his chest. It was a hot day, and he was sweating. A witness heard Employee #1 yell and saw him throw off the tool and cord. He then stepped off the plastic bucket upon which he was standing, took two steps, and collapsed. Employee #1 never regained consciousness. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The electrical shock he received was not enough to leave burn marks on his body, but it was enough to disrupt the rhythm of his heart. The medical examiner’s report listed the cause of death as acute cardiac dysrhythmia due to low voltage electrocution.
Types of Power Sources for Industrial Power Tools
Industrial power tools can be energized in different ways. Cordless power tools use batteries that must be periodically recharged, for instance. From OSHA, industrial power tools sources of power include:
- Battery
- Electricity (Corded)
- Hydraulic
- Liquid Fuel (g., gasoline)
- Powder-Actuated
- Pneumatics (Air Compressor).
Power Tool Source: Battery
More and more power tools on the industrial worksite are powered by batteries. With advances in technology, battery-powered tools on the job are offering more and more power (torque) and speed, inviting more and more employers to transition to battery power from the more traditional corded electrical power tools.
The dangers of batteries with power tools are their propensity to catch fire. Lithium batteries, as their prices lower, are becoming more commonplace. However, lithium batteries are known to be particularly vulnerable to their surroundings and if not properly stored, attached, moved, or monitored, they can burst into flame as well as explode. This is a particularly big danger when the worker using the battery power tool is working near flammable materials.
Power Tool Source: Electricity (Corded)
Studies show that portable power tools are tied to approximately 9% of work accident electrocutions. Most of the electricity-powered tool deaths involved welding equipment; drills; and saws. For more, read Suruda A, Smith L. “Work-related electrocutions involving portable power tools and appliances,” J Occup Med. 1992 Sep;34(9):887-92. PMID: 1447594.
Power Tool Source: Hydraulic
Hydraulic power energizes power tools through the use of pressurized fluids, building much more power than a power tool using liquid fuel as its energy supply. A hydraulic pump is used to introduce the fluid flow. Hydraulic power tools will be found in large industrial worksites. Fluids used in hydraulic power include “mineral oil, ethylene glycol, water, synthetic types, or high temperature fire-resistant fluids.”
Hydraulic power tools come with the risks of their power sources catching fire or causing explosions on the jobsite. Hydraulic tools also endanger workers because a high-pressured spray of the fluids within them can cause sudden, severe burns. There is also the risk of the fluids injecting themselves into the worker’s skin with catastrophic injury results through pinhole leaks in the system hoses. Examples of hydraulic fuel power tools include crimpers, grinders, wrenches, and saws.
Power Tool Source: Liquid Fuel
Most industrial power tools that use liquid fuel for power opt for gasoline. The risk of bodily injury for the worker using any fuel-powered tool comes with the fuel itself. The vapors from the liquid fuel can combust, causing deaths in explosions or severe, catastrophic burn injuries to one or more employees on the jobsite. The fumes that come from the power tool as it is being used (the exhaust) can also cause bodily injury through fatal inhalation. Failure to allow the power tool to cool down before refilling can be the cause of a serious fire or explosion because of the flammable fuel source.
Storing these power tools can bring its own hazards, too. Unused fuel-powered tools at the workplace can burst in flame or blow up if they are not properly maintained and kept in well-ventilated areas. The fuel itself must also be kept in proper storage conditions: gasoline should be in designated containers designed for flammable liquids and maintained onsite as a known hazard. Examples of liquid fuel power tools include chain saws and various industrial cutting tools, such as concrete saws.
Power Tool Source: Pneumatics
Industrial worksites will have power tools energized by pneumatics when that power tool needs to do a big job. Pneumatics can handle a heavy load and have great force. When the power tool is connected to its power source, the attached air compressor, then the worker can expect that tool to provide a great amount of force.
The hazards that come with pneumatics include workers being seriously injured when something flies off the power source, such as a disconnected hose, fastener, or other attachment. Electrical sparks from the pressure switch can cause a fire or explosion on the worksite. Examples of pneumatic power tools include: drills; air hammers; orbital sanders; grease guns; hydraulic riveters; speed saws; and die grinders.
Work Accidents Caused by Power Sources for Industrial Power Tools
For workers on our industrial worksites, it is critical that their employers and others with possession, custody, or control of aspects of the jobsite understand the duty of care and safety owed to everyone on the job when dealing with any kind of power tool. See, e.g., OSHA Standard 1926.300 Subpart I.
This is especially true on heavy industrial sites, such as large manufacturing plants, mines, or construction projects where a variety of power tools are made available with tremendous power sources involving known risks like gasoline, electricity, pressurized fluids, or compressed air.
Even if the power tool itself is safe and secure, the power source for that power tool can be the cause of a horrific and deadly work accident.
Housekeeping tasks are vital at these workplaces. Safety measures need to include things like proper storage of gasoline; making sure that electric cords have proper grounding; and the particular user’s manual for that power source is available and referenced before use, repair, care, and maintenance.
Personal protective equipment specific to that power source should be provided to workers as well.
For more, read:
- Workplace Housekeeping and Serious Accidents on the Job: Duty of Care
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Industrial Workers
- Industrial Accidents: Electricity Hazards on the Job
- Accidents Involving Electric Shock and Exposure to Electricity
- The Risk of Severe or Fatal Explosion Accidents for Industrial Workers
- Known Causes of Industrial Fires: Duty to Keep Workers Safe from Burn Injuries.
Power tools are non-negotiable on most jobsites: workers and employers alike recognize how these tools are critical to the modern industrial workplace. However, the energy sources of these tools must be recognized for the independent dangers they bring to the site and the need to have them all carefully monitored to keep workers safe from harm. Please be careful out there!
