UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At 5:30 p.m. on May 1, 2019, an employee was assisting a coworker with with unja mming material from a cyclone and associated airlock. In order to unclog the ma chine, the coworker opened a guard door located on the cyclone and placed a piec e of cardboard at the door to act as a chute to direct away the rubber coming ou t of the cyclone. The coworker directed the employee to watch the rubber as it discharged from the guard door. At this time, the coworker proceeded to the mac hine's upper platform to blow compressed air down into the cyclone, in an attemp t to free the jam. In the meantime, the employee reached to clear rubber from t he chute and into the open guard to unjam the rubber from beneath the cyclone. The employee was unaware of the moving airlock located approximately six inches within the opening. Three of the employee's fingers were caught in the rotating part, resulting in partial amputation to the second, third, and fourth fingers on his right hand. Hospitalization was not required.