Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119832434 - Fitzpatrick Pallet

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on October 20, 1997, at the Fitzpatrick Pallet Company, located on 16301 Trojan Way, La Mirada, CA, an employee was injured while operating a Kent Single-head (wood) Notcher. The machine cuts notches in lumber used to manufacture wooden pallets. The employer manufactures and refurbishes wooden pallets. The Kent Single-head (wood) Notcher is powered by a 10 horsepower, 1745 rpm, 230/460-volt, 60-hertz, 26/13-amp Lincoln motor, Serial Number U9361204938, Code TF 4288. The saw is a carbide-tipped, index-able cutting head. It is equipped with a table that measures 40 inches long and 24 inches wide. A Stringer Holder holds the lumber in place while cutting the notch. At the time of the accident, and later at the time of the inspection, the Kent Single-head (wood) Notcher was not equipped with a point of operation guard. The point of operation measures 2.5 inches high from the table top to the bottom of the hood, 11 inches from one side of the hood to the other, and 2.25 inches from the front of the hood to the point of operation. Employee #1 had been employed for about four months. He began his employment in the pallet refurbishing area but for most of the four months, Employee #1 worked in the manufacturing area as a saw operator. Employee #1 said he received some training when he first started operating the saw and that he used the Kent Single-head Notcher almost every day for about two or three hours. Employee #1 said that on several occasions, the wood would break and jam in the machine and that this was normal. On the day of the accident, the employee was operating the Kent Single-head Notcher and was wearing leather and cotton gloves. A piece of wood got jammed in the machine and Employee #1 reached in to remove the piece of wood without turning off the machine. The Kent Single-head Notcher caught his glove, pulled his hand into the point of operation of the notcher, and amputated four fingers from his right hand. Employee #1 was hospitalized because of the accident.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, GLOVE, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BETWEEN, WOOD SHAPER, HAND, UNGUARDED