A staff member of Special T’s Ambro Manufacturing (Flemington, NJ) was airlifted to a local hospital after she became trapped under a T-shirt printing press, according to Raritan Township police and as reported by the Essex Daily Voice.
The staff member did not sustain injuries, though she was flown to the hospital via helicopter in response to the shop’s 911 call, Sales and Marketing Manager Darren Amato told Screen Printing magazine. Doctors gave her ibuprofen and released her that night.
Amato said the staff member came back to work three days later.
“She stepped into the press, it was spinning and it kind of knocked her into one of the screens. She was rightfully startled, but she didn’t get hurt,” he said.
Amato said the accident has inspired the company to invest in added safety measures.
The printing press, he explained, is almost entirely guarded off except for the area in which the shirts are loaded and unloaded. To prevent staff members from using this unguarded area to access the press while it’s in operation, Special T’s has installed a custom mat that’s “essentially a big on-off switch,” Amato said. If there’s weight on the mat, the machine will pause.
Special T’s Ambro Manufacturing is a third-generation business that was founded in the 1940s by the Amato family’s grandfather, Joe. The company began offering screen printing and embroidery services in the ‘80s. It currently employs seven people.