Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126152164 - Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

Inspection Information - Office: Los Angeles District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:45 p.m. on August 7, 2006, Employee #1 was employed by the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, where he had worked for 18 years as a building engineer. At the time of the accident, a "buck," or shirt frame, had become lodged in the tunnel of a tunnel press (or bosom, body, and yoke press) in the valet laundry room, located in the lower level of the hotel. This tunnel press had Serial Number 360341030488. Employee #1 was attempting to unjam the buck. With his right hand, he was pushing the lodged shirt frame in the direction of the path it was designed to take, when two hot plates within the tunnel on either side of the shirt frame closed on his hand. He sustained second- and third-degree burns to his right hand, including all the fingers. A coworker, who was an engineer apprentice trainee, had responded to the service call for the jam. He was standing at the controls of the tunnel press when the injury occurred. Hearing Employee #1's cries for help, he immediately began to push buttons at the control panel of the machine, releasing the plates to their open position. Employee #1 was first transported to UCLA Medical Center and then to the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital, in Sherman Oaks, CA, where he was admitted at about 10:00 p.m. He remained in the hospital for treatment from August 7, 2006, to his discharge date of August 21, 2006.

Keywords: BURN, CLOTHING, MAINTENANCE, JAMMED, CAUGHT BETWEEN, POINT OF OPERATION, HAND, PRESS, HIGH TEMPERATURE, HOTEL