Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126029081 - Kleen Easy, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was performing his regular duties when he was paged at about 8:00 a.m. by a coworker and asked to come over to Building 9, Room 9-108, in the Granulation Department. The coworker asked Employee #1 to assist him in cleaning and sanitizing the room. Employee #1 first helped the coworker push the scissor lift over to Room 9-108 from the canopy area. Then the coworker got in the lift and started cleaning the air vents, lights and ceiling, Employee #1 was using a sponge mop with an extension pole to clean the ceiling. After finishing the ceiling and walls, Employee #1 started to clean the stainless steel equipment and sink. He got a two-step mobile ladder stand and started to clean the double stainless steel entry doors. After cleaning the door and door frame inside, Employee #1 asked his coworker to open the door he was cleaning so he could clean the top edge of the door and the inside area of the door frame. The coworker pushed the "automatic open button" and walked out through the other side of the door, which was propped open with the cleaning cart. The double stainless steel doors, which are three-hour fire doors, are set to open and close on a 40-second cycle, when the "automatic open button" is activated. Employee #1 indicates that he knew the door would open and close automatically once the button was pushed, and he was attempting to clean the door and door frame in the time that the door was open and before it closed. He states that when the step stool he was standing on moved a little, he looked down and it was at that same moment that the door completed its closure and caught his right middle finger between the top of the door and the door frame. Employee #1 indicates that he jumped off the stool, which was 24-inches high and his hand was bleeding. He did not realize a piece of his right middle finger was amputated until he saw the piece on the floor. The coworker heard him yell something about cutting his finger and saw him jumping around and holding his hand. The coworker immediately came over and grabbed towels off the cleaning cart and wrapped Employee #1's hand. He then escorted Employee #1 over to the nurse's office in Building Number 1. The nurse placed his hand in a water solution while the paramedics were called by Security. Employee #1 was transported by ambulance to Northridge Hospital where he was examined, given a shot, and told to go to Dr.Lesin's office at Northridge Medical Center in Van Nuys. He was treated by Dr. Lesin and told that the amputated portion of his right middle finger could not be reattached.

Keywords: JANITOR, AMPUTATED, FINGER, CLEANING, CAUGHT BETWEEN, DOOR