Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125775221 - Warmerdam Packing

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:10 p.m. on January 6, 1997, Employee #1, a field worker, was chipping diseased peach limbs in an orchard. He was using a Crary Bear Cat PTO-model chipper & hydraulic feed, model 72854, serial #19650, that was being pulled by a tractor. The machine was relatively new, and he had only been using it for two weeks. The chipper had a roller between the chute and rotor, which was enclosed with an access cover on top. The roller was approximately 10 in. by 16 in., with crossbars on the roller every 4 in. to pull in limbs, and it adjusted in height to the thickness of the branches being fed into the chute. Apparently, there was a jam and Employee #1 removed the access cover to the roller. He was reaching into the roller with his right hand when it turned, smashing his fingers. He was sent to Stanford Medical Center, where his ring and index fingers were amputated between the first and second joints. According to a signed statement by his supervisor, Employee #1 had received training on this chipper prior to his using it. The tractor was turned off, but it is not known if the roller was completely stopped or if hydraulic pressure had built up and then released, causing the roller to turn. Based on the statement from his supervisor and the inability to speak with Employee #1, who would not be interviewed without his attorney's permission, the employer issued a notice of no accident-related violations after the investigation. The employer was cited for a violation of T8CCR 3203(b)(2), for not maintaining training records for this new piece of equipment.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, AGRICULTURE, FINGER, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BY, JAMMED, ROLLER--MACH/PART, CHIPPER, HYDRAULIC TOOL