UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At 6:00 a.m. on February 24, 2022, an employee was unjamming the blower for the Kugler-Womako binding machine. The employee was the machine operator for the Kug ler-Womako, Machine No. MK00303, which had a Blower Application Co., Equipment 3 B attached. The Kugler-Womako put the wire bindings on the sketch pad and utili zed paper cardboard to prevent the wire from tangling. The paper cardboard trav els through a suction chute to the Blower Application chipper/blower fan where i t would be cut into small pieces before proceeding through the line to the final collection point. The chipper/blower fan had clogged with material, so the emp loyee used a screwdriver to remove the hose on the infeed side in order to clear the jam. The chipper/blower fan was not shut down nor locked out before enteri ng the equipment. The chipper/blower opening was located approximately 24 inche s above the floor. As the employee placed his hand in the machine to unjam it, his hand was sucked in and made contact to the rotating blades inside. The empl oyee quickly yelled for help and was able to pull his hand out. The company pro vided medical attention before transporting to the emergency room. There were n o direct witnesses to the incident but heard the yells after it had occurred. T he employee amputated his right fingers. The employee was hospitalized.