Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125917500 - Don Casters Gce Industries Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

On May 19, 2004, Employee #1, a welder, amputated his left index finger when it became caught between a pry bar he was using to lift a welding fixture and the table it was resting on. The employer manufactures parts for electrical power generation facilities. The welding fixture weighed between 1300 and 1400 pounds and was set on a work table. A small metal part was trapped under the edge of the fixture, holding it above level by 0.25 inch on one end. Employee #1 attempted to remove the metal part by using a flat piece of metal normally used for tapping parts into place as a pry bar. Unlike a manufactured pry bar, this bar was flat, not angled on one end to prevent the hand or fingers from being caught under the bar under excessive weight. When he freed the part from under the fixture, the entire weight of the fixture came down upon his finger, which was caught between the flat bar and the table. The flesh on his finger was removed when he pulled his hand away from the table. Employee #1 was hospitalized and the bone was later amputated by surgery to prevent infection.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, WELDER, CAUGHT BETWEEN, PRY BAR