Are you in the Line of Fire?....

There are some situations where workers put themselves in harm's way depending upon the type of work they are carrying out due to

• Lack of awareness

• Lack of education

It is important to always remember that line of fire hazards are some of the most deadly. Awareness is the first line of defense. 

"Line of Fire", which was originally a military term, is now commonly used in industrial safety.  “Line of fire” is very common when talking about the hazards of a work task.

Hazards can be hard to recognize and can

• Cause injury

• Incapacitate

• In severe cases, kill the employee or coworkers

Line of fire hazards are one of the most common hazards found in manufacturing, second only to Slip, Trips, and Falls. Line of fire injuries occurs when the path of a moving object or the release of hazardous energy intersects with an individual’s body.

Three major categories of line of fire incidents are caught-in or between incidents, struck-by incidents, and released energy incidents. There are many specific examples of hazards for each of these categories. A few quick examples for each category:

Caught-in or between- A construction worker is standing between a wall and an excavator. When the excavator spins around the counterweight pins the worker against the wall. Another example would be a worker placing his hand too close to a rotating gear and gets it pulled into the gear.

Struck-by- A pedestrian struck-by a moving vehicle or an object falling from a higher level striking a worker below are examples of struck-by incidents.

Released energy- A pipe releasing hot steam from a valve that is being removed or a flame shooting out of a malfunctioning engine are examples of released energy.

Avoiding Line of Fire Incidents

The best way to avoid the line of fire incidents is to eliminate the related hazards whenever possible. By totally eliminating the hazards there is no chance that you or anyone else in the work area can be injured by that hazard.

When elimination is not possible, engineering controls are the next best choice in protecting yourself from injury. Some engineering controls that could protect you from line of fire incidents include physical barriers, guarding around moving parts, and toe boards on elevated work platforms to prevent objects from falling to the area below. There are many other possible engineering controls that could be used depending on the specific hazard.

Total elimination of hazards is not always possible and engineering controls may not be feasible or they can fail. Because of this reality, it is important to decrease your chance of being a victim of line of fire injuries by not putting yourself in harm’s way in the first place. Understand the work tasks that are going on around you and the associated hazards. Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen or what will happen if a certain safeguard fails. Recognize the hazards of your work and act accordingly.

Tips for Increasing Line of Fire Safety

Whether you’re working on a construction site or manufacturing warehouse, you can encourage your workers to use the following tips to avoid line of fire risks.

Never pull tools or equipment toward your body or face. Instead, you should work the equipment away from your body.
Since hazard identification is a key component of line of fire safety, a Job Safety Analysis should always be performed to effectively identify all hazards prior to any work beginning.

Anytime you’re hoisting materials, make sure to barricade the area surrounding the hoisting zone.
If someone is working around equipment, it’s vital the operator knows where they are at all times.
When someone is working around equipment that could possibly start up or is controlled remotely, it’s imperative to lock and tag it out.
Workers should never attempt to work with or around equipment that has missing guard controls.
Anytime equipment has been tagged out or locked, employees should never attempt to operate it. Employees should also never attempt to remove the tag or lock.

Make sure to be cognizant of any and all weather conditions that could possibly put someone in the line of fire. For example, if winds are severe and materials are not properly secured, it could place workers in the line of fire.

Article by Dr.Yashoda Tammineni,

MSc, Ph.D.

HSE, HOD at NIFS