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EMTs at Blue Heron Paper Mill
As written by Gregg Johnson, EMT-B
On January 21, 2000 at about 11:55 p.m., an initial report came in that
an employee had been pinned in the # 4 paper machine. Upon arrival we found
one employee pinned and two other employees with minor injuries.
Employees were in the process of threading paper back through the calendar
stack when a large wad of paper made the stack roll jump, causing both
journals to fail on a cast iron roll. The roll then fell out of the stack
and onto a walkway. An employee was trapped when the roll, weighing 7 tons,
20 ft. long, and about 24" in diameter, pinned his right foot to another
structure. He was conscious but in shock.
Repulper, calendar stack, and other associated equipment had been
shutdown at onset of the accident. Rigging equipment was used to stabilize
the roll, while mill EMTs started assessment of the patient. TVF&R and
AMR arrived and helped with extraction of the patient. The patient was then
transported to Emanuel Hospital.
The employee was later sent home from the hospital, even before repairs
had been made to the machine. The employee was placed on light duty the
following week for about two months, before returning back to his normal job.
Although there was some soft tissue injury, no bones were broken. The
combination of fast response by mill EMTs, TVF&R, AMR and foot wear
with a steel toe and steel shank kept his foot from being crushed and burned
more severely.
Gregg Johnson, EMT-B
Oregon certified since 1985
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