Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126060904 - I L Walker

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, June 28, 2000, Employee #1 was working in the die cutting department for a manufacturer of folding cardboard cartons. The employer handled approximately 1,500,00 pieces per month on two die cutting machines, both of which ran 24 hrs per day. Employee #1, who had started work at 5:30 p.m. the night before, was using 17 1/4 in. by 30 5/8 in. paperboard stock on job #102744R. At 2:15 a.m., he noticed that the stock at the delivery side was coming out uneven. To correct this, he first threw some paper jiggers into the delivery end of the die-cut sheets, but the jiggers made the stock pile up too high. Employee #1 then approached the side of the delivery area, knelt on the working platform, and extended his left arm into the machine to remove the jigger. His left index finger became caught between the moving brush and the rear jogger. The braking force of the brush smashed the tip of his index finger, but Employee #1 pressed the EMERGENCY STOP button and was able to withdraw his hand. He reported the incident to his supervisor and was transported to the Alameda Industrial Clinic, where his index finger was surgically amputated at the second digit. Subsequent investigation determined that the nip point of the machine at the delivery end was guarded by location and by the frame of the equipment, and that the accident was the result of Employee #1's behavior.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, DIE CUTTING PRESS, FINGER, WORK RULES, EMERGENCY STOP, LOCKOUT, CAUGHT BETWEEN, PRESS OPERATOR, PRESS, BLIND REACHING