Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 200962579 - Employee's thumb amputated by miter saw

Accident Summary Nr: 200962579 -- Report ID: 0352410 -- Event Date: 01/18/1999
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
119544617	01/21/1999	1542	0	Charles E. Smith Construction, Inc.

Abstract: On January 18, 1999, Employee #1 was using a miter saw to cut a piece of crown molding by positioning it perpendicular to the fence, so that the blade could cut through from the top to the bottom of the molding. He was holding it with his free hand, without a steadying device, while attempting to rip the thickness of the molding. As he held the molding on its edge with one hand, he brought down the saw blade with his other hand, amputating his left thumb. Employee #1 was a self-employed carpenter who had a verbal agreement with the general contractor on the site to perform the work. The miter saw had been removed from the site before it could be inspected, but employees of the general contractor reported that it had all the appropriate guarding devices in place. There were no witnesses to the accident, but examination of the trim molding that was recovered clearly indicated that Employee #1 had tried to perform a cut that could not be performed safely, bringing the blade down from the top while the molding was positioned on its side. It was also a cut that the saw was not designed to do.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, THUMB, SAW, GUIDE

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Other building		Alteration or rehabilitation		$1,000,000 to $5,000,000	3	50

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	119544617			Hospitalized injury	Amputation	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior carpentry Fatality Cause: Other

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