Dubai Police rescue workers trapped in meat grinders

Dubai: Dubai Police rescue teams have freed several workers whose hands became trapped in commercial meat grinders at shopping centres and restaurants, using specialist equipment to minimise injuries after conventional medical tools proved unable to safely release the victims.

Colonel Khalid Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Director of the Search and Rescue Department, said the incidents are typically caused by inattention, inadequate training or unsafe use of industrial machinery.

He said rescue teams are equipped with precision cutting tools and engineering expertise that enable them to dismantle or reverse machinery to release trapped limbs while limiting further injury.

Among the most challenging cases, rescue teams saved a restaurant worker whose hand had become lodged inside a meat grinder.

Doctors initially believed his hand would have to be amputated to prevent life-threatening complications, but rescuers successfully freed it by reversing the grinder’s mechanism, limiting the damage to part of his fingers. Police said the outcome drew praise from the treating medical team.

Dubai Police said rescue crews have handled 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 ensure workers receive proper safety training and that machinery is fitted with functioning protective devices, while calling on parents to supervise children closely around moving equipment in public places.

The warning comes as Dubai courts have awarded substantial compensation in workplace injury cases linked to inadequate safety measures.

In one case, a restaurant worker whose hand was amputated after becoming trapped in a meat grinder was awarded Dh 500,000 in compensation after the court found failures in training, machine safety and workplace supervision.

In another case, a worker who lost two fingers in a steel-bending machine accident received Dh70,000 in damages.