Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119569713 - Bata Shoe Company, Inc.

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

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 had called the maintenance department and was assisting mechanics repairing one of the six stations on machine #270. After examining the machine, the maintenance mechanics informed him that they could not repair the machine. Employee #1 made one last effort to fix the machine by placing a piece of conductive aluminum tape on a proximity switch. He started the machine and observed its operation. The station was still not operating properly, and it had come to a point where it had to be closed before it struck the locking mechanism. Employee #1 reached in through the shoe mold to remove the tape. Immediately, the lower portion of the press closed on his arm. The press generates 4,500 psi and is hydraulically operated. Other employees made attempts to shut the machine down; however, they determined that the machine's hydraulic line would have to be cut before the employee could be removed. Employee #1 had no broken bones in his right arm; however, he did suffer some loss of movement and severe contusions. The employer has an inadequate lockout/tagout program that does not identify procedures and policies to be used while performing operations that involve lockout/tagout. Employee #1 said that he has never had any training in lockout/tagout.

Keywords: REPAIR, WORK RULES, LOCKOUT, CRUSHED, ARM, HYDRAULIC PRESS, UNTRAINED