Two injuries, including a foot amputation, struck a Truro, Nova Scotia sawmill on August 4, 2010.
The first incident at the JD Irving, Ltd.-owned Truro Sawmill occurred just before 8 a.m. while a 46-year-old employee was adjusting a barrier on a moving conveyor, reports Kevin Finch, a spokesman for the Dept. Of Labour and Workforce Development in Halifax which is investigating the two accidents. The wrench that he was using slipped, and that pinched his left middle finger between the tool and the moving belt. The result was that he had a pinch injury to the finger, which moved the flesh just below the nail, Finch adds. The worker was taken to the hospital for the non-critical injury. The Labour Department ordered the conveyor be locked out until inspectors could determine that an adequate lockout procedure is in place.