Incident Description

The injury occurred during the routine task of degreasing a bicycle chain. The injured person was using a rag to degrease the chain on a fixed gear chain. A tool was available but was not utilized due to the fact that a part within the tool was soiled and needed to be changed. The rag caught in the chain and the employee's thumb was dragged into the gears, causing injury.

What went right?

They received quick medical treatment. The injury was properly reported.

What should have been done differently?

A degreasing tool should have been used for this routine task, so that the hand could not come in contact with the chain or gears.

How to prevent this in the future?

• Use the proper tool
• Maintain the tool, including instituting a monthly part replacement schedule
• Develop a standard operating procedure for the task
• Train the staff on the SOP and document the training