Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120227145 - Fresh Foods Concepts Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On October 10, 2003, an employee was cleaning and sanitizing the Bellhack GMBH bowl chopper. The function of the machine was to cut and chop vegetables into small slices with the 3 rotary blades. The overall length and width of the machine were 72 in. and 32 in., respectively. The height of the machine was 40-in. The diameter of the pan where actual vegetable slicing is done was 46-in., measured in a horizontal plane, and the depth of the pan was 10 in. The pan, inside which cutting blades are mounted, had a hinged lid at the top and the lid covers 180 area of the pan. At the time of the accident, the hinged lid was lifted from its normal horizontal position to its vertical position so that the blades and inside of the pan could be accessed and cleaned. The bowl chopper lid was not secured to minimize hazards caused by loosening and falling. As the employee was cleaning the pan, at one stage the lid fell on the rim of the pan where the employee's left index finger was placed. The fall of the lid, which weighs about 70 lbs, amputated his left index finger. The employee was transported to the Western Hand Center, where he was hospitalized for medical treatment and surgery.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, UNSECURED, FINGER, CLEANING, CAUGHT BETWEEN, STRUCK BY