Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1454363.015 - Toledo Molding & Die Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Toledo Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:30 a.m. on January 2, 2020, an employee was working for a firm that manufactured products made of plastic. She worked as a machine operator. She was a support operator. Support operators were assigned to multiple machines and presses daily. Support operators relieved regularly assigned operators for breaks and for lunch. In this incident, she was operating a TSM 12 model number MSE1918 Tiffin screw machine. The machine ran at 500 rpm. The employee was wearing Body Guard gloves from which material had been removed from the portions that covered the thumb and index finger. Several employees interviewed later stated that some employees cut the fingers out of their gloves to perform specific tasks such as but not limited to installing gaskets on parts. In this incident, the employee was holding a metal threaded stud in a powered nut driver. She was going to install the metal threaded stud into a plastic housing. She was holding the stud with her thumb and index finger when the stud became entangled in the employee's glove. Her hand to thrust into the plastic lamp housing, with the force concentrated on her right ring finger. The employee suffered a laceration and a dislocation of the finger. The dislocation of the right ring finger required surgery that resulted in a surgical amputation below the first knuckle or joint. The employee was treated without hospitalization. The employer did not ensure that employees' protective gloves were not damaged and removed from service while employees were operating the Tiffin screw machine. Employees operating the screw machine while wearing gloves with the thumb and index finger cut out were exposed to a "caught-in" hazard.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Caught In, Dislocated, Finger, Glove, Inadequate Maint, Laceration, Machine operator, PPE, Partial Amputation, Rotating Parts, Struck Against, Surgical Amputation, Thumb, Training