SKARA, Sweden, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A 60-year-old worker trying to clear a jam in a meat grinder at a meatball plant in central Sweden lost two fingers Tuesday morning, an official said.
The accident happened about 7 a.m. at a plant in Skara operated by Scan, Scan spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren told The Local.
The victim, who was not identified, had repeatedly opened the grinder and reached in to clean it but the machine, which had a safety mechanism that causes it to stop automatically, remain jammed when it was restarted.
The employee, who has worked at the plant since 1997, then stuck his hand inside the machine from the bottom while it was still running, and his fingers became caught, Thorgren said.
The man was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries.
"This is an extremely unfortunate incident," Thorgren said. "Luckily, it doesn't happen that often."
The meatball-processing line at the plant remained idle, pending an investigation.
The workplace safety officer at the plant and officials from Sweden's Work Environment Authority were to try to determine the cause of the jam.
Thorgren said the injuries apparently resulted from the man not following standard procedures.
