Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112216635 - Foarm Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Labor Enforcement Task Force (Letf) Unit - South

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 worked for a laminating company and operated a 7-ton, 48-inch by 60-inch press. Three layers of materials, the thickest being foam rubber at 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch thick, were pulled off rolls and fed between two heated plates. At rest, the plates are about 4 to 5 inches apart. The materials have glue-film on one side and when the press is closed a heat cycle runs for about 35 seconds, melting the glue. The glued product is then removed from the press as one multilayer material to be pressure-formed into various shapes later. The control buttons on Employee #1's side of the machine had been taped down in active mode by a machine operator/partner at about 7:45 on the morning of the accident. This allowed Employee #1 to operate the press with the controls on the opposite side of the machine. The timing mechanism did not lock out the sequence of requiring two operators in two locations to register two hands in a specific time or sequence. After approximately 45 minutes of operating the machine alone, Employee #1 approached the machine while at rest and reached both hands between the open plates to remove a wrinkle from the material. At the same time, another operator started a new cycle, causing the 7-ton press to close on Employee #1's hands and wrists.

Keywords: BURN, HEAT, POWER PRESS, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, POINT OF OPERATION, HAND, PRESS