Workers rescued with specialist equipment after hands become trapped, with no major injuries reported.
Dubai: Dubai Police rescue teams have freed several workers after their hands became trapped in commercial meat grinders at shopping centres and restaurants, using specialised equipment to minimise injuries when conventional medical tools were unable to safely release them.
Colonel Khalid Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Director of the Search and Rescue Department, said such incidents are usually linked to lapses in attention, insufficient training, or the unsafe operation of industrial machinery.
He said rescue teams are equipped with precision cutting tools and engineering expertise that allow them to dismantle or reverse machinery to free trapped limbs while minimising the risk of further injury, according to Emarat Al Youm.
Among the most challenging incidents handled by rescue teams was the case of a restaurant worker whose hand became trapped inside a meat grinder.
Doctors initially feared that amputation would be necessary to prevent life-threatening complications. However, rescuers managed to free the worker’s hand by reversing the grinder’s mechanism, limiting the injury to part of his fingers. Police said the successful rescue was praised by the treating medical team.
Dubai Police said rescue teams have responded to similar incidents involving workers at restaurants and shopping centres, as well as children whose hands became trapped in escalators or lifts.
Officers urged employers to provide proper safety training for workers and ensure machinery is equipped with effective protective mechanisms. Parents were also advised to closely supervise children around moving equipment in public areas.
The warning comes as Dubai courts have awarded significant compensation in workplace injury cases linked to inadequate safety measures.
In one case, a restaurant worker who lost his hand after it became trapped in a meat grinder was awarded Dh500,000 in compensation after the court found shortcomings in training, machine safety standards, and workplace supervision.
In another case, a worker who lost two fingers in an accident involving a steel-bending machine was awarded Dh70,000 in compensation.
