Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1249807.015 - County Of Kern, General Services Department

Inspection Information - Office: Bakersfield District Office

Investigation Summary

At 8:00 a.m. on July 13, 2017, Employee #1, a maintenance carpenter, was assigned to make name plate holders. The employee cut the first blocks 13.5 inches long by two inches wide by 1.25 inches high. Two curves needed to be carved into the bottom of the blocks, with the curves starting about two inches from the edges and 0.5 inches deep. Employee #1 was using a jointer-planer machine, a Grizzly Industrial Inc. Model G0495X and Serial Number 80700020. The employee decided to make several passes to achieve the curve with the planer, so he set the cut depth of the planer to about 0.0625 inches. The employee was holding the work piece by the top with both hands facing forward, and his fingers were on the corners. As he fed the block into the planer, he had to lower it onto the cutter head then lift it off to create the curve. The cutter head was operating at a speed of 7,000 RPMs. While feeding the material into the cutter head, it kicked back, and his finger came in contact with the cutter head, causing a laceration to his left index finger. Employee #1 was hospitalized and surgery was performed, resulting in the partial loss of his finger.

Keywords: Amputation, Blade, Finger, Kick Back, Planing Machine, Rotating Parts, Struck Against