Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126179811 - Silgan Plastics Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

On March 5, 2004, an employee was working as a Process Lead in the production area. The employee stated that he was called over to Molding Machine Number 3, by a quality control person and told that the tails on the bottles were not cutting off as required. He looked down under the machine where the bolster bolts are located because he knew that's what was causing the problem. He kneeled down and looked at the bolster bolts and saw a small four-inch piece of plastic caught between the bolster bolts. He then waited for the mold to open, with his right hand located under the flasher bar. About one or two seconds before the mold opened, the deflasher bar came down to remove the tails from the bottles and that's where his right middle finger was located. The tip of the right middle finger was cut off below the nail and above the first joint, with some bone loss. The employee took the tip of his finger, placed it back on the finger, and wrapped it up. The employee was taken to the Henry Mayo Hospital by the Human Resources Administrator. The hospital sewed the tip back on and told him to go to the Town Center in Valencia, to see a hand surgeon on the following Monday. When the employee saw the surgeon, he was told that tip of the finger must be removed because it was not healing properly. He was given an appointment to return for the removal and installation of hardware in the finger. He had several follow-up visits to the surgeon, followed by physical therapy.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, LOCKOUT, CAUGHT BETWEEN, STRUCK BY