Inspection Detail

Inspection: 104355532 - Perdue Farms, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was drying beans. A pulley and belt-driven screw auger, which removes trash such as weed seeds, sticks, etc., had become clogged. In order to remove this stoppage, the employee shut off electrical power and removed the guard that protected the pulleys and belts that drive the auger. He began to manually move the belts in the opposite direction in order to relieve pressure. A coworker restored electrical power to the controlling motor before Employee #1's hands were clear of the equipment. The pulleys and belts actuated and severed the thumb from his right hand. Although the company has a lockout policy that requires the use of a padlock, this policy was not in use during the time of the accident. Parsonsburg Rescue Squad responded to the scene and transported Employee #1 by ambulance to Peninsula General Hospital in Salisbury, MD. He was later flown to Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD, where his thumb was reattached.

Keywords: SEVERED, BELT, WORK RULES, CLEANING, THUMB, LOCKOUT, CLOGGED, AUGER, PULLEY