Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 201168630 - Employee's Finger Amputated When Caught in Meat Grinder
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
126193796 | 02/14/2007 | 5411 | 445110 | Whole Foods Market Inc |
Abstract: On February 3, 2007, Employee #1 was performing his customary duties as a meat department customer service clerk for Whole Foods Incorporated. He was assigned to the Meat Department on September 11, 2006, and his new job tasks included trimming, deboning, and slicing meat and poultry and grinding special cuts per customer requests. He regularly operated a food grinder and sausage maker, sharpened knives, and cleaned the work area and the department's machines. When he was assigned the new job tasks, he was not provided with formal training and instruction on department-specific site hazards and safe work practices but, instead, learned from observation and imitation. At the time of the accident, he was operating the TorRey M22-R1 food grinder to provide ground veal per a customer's request. His hand slipped off the stomper during the feeding operation and was caught by the grinder's rotating feed screw (worm). Employee #1's thumb, index, and middle fingers were amputated and he was hospitalized for nine days. Employee #1 stated that several months prior he had noticed that one of the safety guard bolts had broken off and the safety guard would swivel over the feed opening. On the day of the accident there was no safety guard over the feed opening and the department employees did not know where the guard was, who removed it or when. The employer did not conduct regularly scheduled or periodic workplace inspections for prevention and control of hazards and/or unsafe practices. The grinder was used by the various employees in the aforementioned state of disrepair over a period of several months. The employer's injury and illness prevention program (IIPP) was ineffective due to a failure to implement elements of training and conduct inspections.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 126193796 | Hospitalized injury | Amputation | Butchers and meat cutters |