Authorities say a 37-year-old man was killed while using a portable cement cutter in Troy. The incident happened Thursday morning in the 600 block of Sylvanwood, in a neighborhood off Rochester and Long Lake roads.
Worker killed by cement saw while trying to remove pool in Troy
By: Charlie Langton
September 14, 2017
A construction worker who was sawing through cement to remove an in ground pool in Troy died Wednesday when he lost control of his cement saw.
The employee, who has not been identified, was working at a home in the 600 block Sylvanwood Drive Wednesday to remove the pool when he lost control of the saw and it cut into his throat, killing the man.
Joe Lew owns the home and contracted the company to come out and do the work. He told FOX 2 that he didn't even know about the accident until Thursday.
"In fact I call them this morning and he broke the news to me," Lew said.
The 39-year-old worker from Canton was using a portable saw to remove Lew's in ground pool. Troy police say the saw kicked up and cut his throat. He died at the scene.
Lew says tenants live in the home but he found out about the incident when he went to court Thursday morning and a building department employee told him. Lew was in court to take care of a ticket he was issued for the in-ground pool being "in severe disrepair".
Charlene Chynowerh lives nearby and said that the project has been in the works for a while.
"They have been taking that pool out for about two weeks," Chynowerh said. "I heard the jackhammering the cement. It's a process, because I know people who have done it and it something you just don't do overnight."
Another neighbor who has worked with concrete in the past says saws can be dangerous.
"They have guards and things on them but if you're in a compromising position with the saw and it kicks back or something unexpected happens, then you could get seriously injured," Matt Mikiczennko said.
Because it was a construction incident, MIOSHA must come out and investigate. If they determine there was something wrong with the situation the worker was in, the company could face violations.
"I feel bad. Right now I'm going to install a fence, make sure it will be safe for everybody," Lew said.Calls to the worker's landscaping company went unanswered. His name and the name of the company have not been released.
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Construction worker removing pool killed by saw in Troy, Michigan
Elisha Anderson, Detroit Free Press
Published 10:59 a.m. ET Sept. 14, 2017
A construction worker removing an in-ground pool in Troy died Wednesday night when a portable cutting saw hit him in the neck.
Police said the 39-year-old man from Canton Township died at the scene.
It happened in the 600 block of Sylvanwood, near Rochester Road and East Long Lake Road, at 7:40 p.m., Troy police Sgt. Meghan Lehman said.
“All indications are that it was an accident,” she said.
The man was cutting through a metal pool when the saw got stuck, the worker yanked it, freeing it, and the saw kicked up directly at him, police said.
Officials have not released the construction worker’s name.
The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration was also notified, police said.
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Safety Issues
What may seem obvious to one person may be less so to another, so never take it for granted that anyone operating a saw will understand safe procedures. Every saw comes with a whole list of general power tool safety rules that must be followed, from making sure electrical tools are unplugged before changing blades to simply using the tool for its intended application instead of something else.Cutting concrete with an abrasive blade or a diamond blade generates dust, some of it silica dust that is fine enough that it can be drawn deeply into the lungs. Breathing in fine crystalline silica can lead to silicosis—an incurable lung disease that results in lung fibrosis. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that nearly 300 construction workers die annually from silicosis. Workers who spend years in an environment where there is free silica dust in the air are more likely to end up with silicosis unless something is done to prevent them from breathing it. That's why the OSHA has established a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for airborne crystalline silica.
What that means to a saw operator is that measures must be taken to prevent silica from becoming airborne, workers must be kept out of dusty areas, or workers must use respirators. Preventing silica dust from getting into the air is accomplished by what are called “engineering controls,” such as using wet saws or vacuum systems. “The vacuum systems around right now are difficult to work with,” said Becky Gallert, Wacker's product manager for demolition products. “The main reason people use a cutoff saw is because it's easy to use and versatile, so to drag around a vacuum hose defeats the purpose.” Water creates similar problems, especially indoors. We'll cover respirators in more detail later.
Blades
The blade on a saw is obviously one of the most dangerous parts, although it's also the most essential because it does all the work. Diamond blades almost always are used for concrete cutting today, since the price has come down and because they cut so much better than abrasive blades. For detailed information on diamond blade safety, the Masonry & Concrete Saw Manufacturers Institute (SMI, a bureau of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers) has developed an excellent brochure located at www.aem.org/CBC/ProdSpec/SMI/Pubs.asp.Before starting to cut with a blade, carefully look that it's not damaged. Damaged blades can break during cutting, ejecting hot steel pieces—never a good thing. Check that the blade isn't missing segments, that it isn't cracked, and that it doesn't appear to have been overheated. One way to tell if a blade is cracked is to bang it with a piece of wood to see if it rings. Inspect the blade regularly to guarantee it remains in good condition. The SMI brochure has a lengthy listing of blade problems and remedies to help your blades last longer and stay safer.
Kickback And Lock-In
The term kickback is used a bit differently by different saw manufacturers, but basically it refers to when the saw jumps back toward the operator. Lock-in is when the blade jams in the concrete and pulls the saw away from the operator. With proper use neither of these should happen.Kickback can be caused by using the upper part of the cutting blade or when a cut is interrupted. It also can happen when putting the blade back into a cut that's already been started. If you must do that, make sure the blade is spinning at top speed before continuing the cut.
Lock-in is similar and often is caused by the workpiece shifting and pinching the blade. Make sure that it is supported and clamped so that this can't happen. Another cause of lock-in is trying to cut too deeply too quickly or trying to cut a radius. These can lock the blade or can cause a diamond segment to pop off. Sometimes a safe practice is to make a shallow guide cut then come back for a deeper cut.
Other General Saw Safety
All reputable saw manufacturers have extensive safety sections in their owner's manual. “Our safety committee looks carefully at each product,” said Gallert, “and we make sure that the operator's manual is very clear.”“The biggest trend in saw safety I'm seeing,” said Bosch's Jason Feldner, “is education—training people to use the saw properly. Most of the time, they know what they should be doing, so we have to convince them to not pin back the guard and to keep both hands on the saw.”
Maintaining a safe environment is another important safety factor. Keep nonconstruction people at least 100 feet away and make sure other workers who are closer have proper personal protective equipment (PPEs). Saws are dangerous and maintaining control of the situation and focus on the work goes a long ways toward safe operation.
Another good source for safety information on cutting is the CSDA. They have developed online courses in saw safety and toolbox talks. For information visit www.csda.org.
Personal Protective Equipment
OSHA standard 1926 has detailed requirements for personal protective equipment for construction available on the Web (www.osha.gov/SLTC/constructionppe/standards.html). For concrete sawing, the most important PPEs include safety glasses, respirators, and hearing protection. Of course, proper clothing, footwear, and hard hats also are necessary and sensible for most construction sites. If you employ workers, it is your responsibility to provide proper PPEs and to ensure your workers use them properly. For an excellent article on PPEs for saw operators, go to the list of safety articles on the CSDA Web site.Safety glasses or goggles are a must during cutting. The glasses must meet OSHA standard 1926.102 and be stamped as ANSI approved under Z-87.1. Glasses must be comfortable enough that your workers will keep them on and you should require that they be worn at all times. For workers doing a lot of cutting, a full-face respirator would be a good option.
For silica exposure, the first step must be to try to control the silica dust with engineering controls. If that's not enough, then go to respirators. The respirator needed depends on how much dust is in the air (for details, go to the OSHA Web site and look up crystalline silica). The minimum respirator is a half-mask model with a P-100 filter; face masks are not enough protection against silica.
“Silica requires a P-100 filter, that's the NIOSH designation,” said MSA's John Hierbaum. “Those used to be called HEPA filters but NIOSH discontinued that terminology. P-100 means that it's 100% efficient against particulates—actually 99.7%. You also have to do a fit test of the respirator by exposing the wearer to banana oil or another material that the respirator would filter out so if the person can smell it you know you've got a leak.”
Hearing protection is another important consideration while cutting. Ear plugs or ear muffs should be provided to workers. There are many very good low-cost earplugs on the market today that are effective at reducing noise levels. Muffs also can be effective but are less so when glasses or respirators affect the fit over the ears. Employers should provide training in the proper way to insert earplugs—pulling up on the top of the ear during insertion helps them to fit better and to more effectively reduce noise.
Keeping yourself or your workers safe when cutting is really good sense. Take safety seriously and your company will prosper.