S a f e t y T o o l b o x T o p i c s

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A 13-year-old boy whose arm was severed at a coin laundry in Rochester has had the arm reattached by surgeons.

Police say Monday that the teenager reached into a washing machine to remove a sheet on Friday evening and his arm was ripped off when it got entangled in the sheet.

Police spokesman LaRon Singletary says the boy, who was not identified, underwent successful emergency surgery at a hospital.

The laundry owner, James Burton, says the accident happened after the boy's mother had gone home to get more detergent. Burton says the boy may have heard the washer pause during one of its cycles and it restarted when he opened the door and reached in.

This is another recent story from the news showing the dangers of reaching into energized equipment. This front loaded washing was an older model that did not have a switch to stop the machine upon opening the door. The boy’s mother had left for a moment to get more laundry detergent.

You can’t assume just because something is not moving, it is safe to reach into it. You must have control over the energy and the machine. This is why lockout Tagout exists, it is for your protection.