Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125700526 - Aluminite Northwest,Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:15 a.m. on October 8, 1999, Employee #1, a fabricator/assembler for a manufacturer of sliding screen doors, was using the pneumatic rigging table to assemble the framework of the screen doors. The 93 in. by 69 in. by 37 in. tall table had a sliding arm at one end, activated by a foot control. The table top had an open framework with several support bars running along its width. These openings were large enough to reach through. Employee #1 placed a door frame on the table when the sliding arm, which normally slid across the table top and pushed the door frame pieces together, stopped halfway. Employee #1 lost his balance and began to fall backward, grabbing the framework of the tabletop with his right hand as his foot left the control pedal. The sliding arm began to travel back to its original position, catching Employee #1's right hand. His ring finger was amputated at the first joint and he sustained a crushing injury to his third finger and a pinching injury to his little finger. Employee #1 was transported by the Sacramento County Fire Department to U.C. Davis Medical Center, where had surgery and was released the next day. Subsequent investigation showed that the accident resulted from inadvertent contact with the open framework of the table as the arm was moving.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, WORK RULES, FOOT CONTROL, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, LOST BALANCE, UNGUARDED