Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126781178 - Pitchfork Development Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was using a Skilsaw with a 7 1/4 in. diameter blade to cut a 10 in. wide piece from the end of a 1/2 in. thick 4 by 8 wafer board. The board was supported on two white 5 gallon buckets at a height of 15 in. above the floor. Employee #1 had cut approximately 8 in. into the board, with the cut end on his right, when he moved to the other side of the board. He had cut in approximately 3 3/4 in. on the other side when, for some reason, the saw kicked back and struck the inside his right leg, just below his lower torso. There was no evidence that the blade guard malfunctioned, or had been disabled. The style and model of the Skilsaw had an adjustment that allowed the operator to adjust the cutting depth of the blade to the correct thickness of the material being cut. The adjustment had not been made to allow for the 1/2 in. thickness of the wafer board. The adjustment at the time of the accident was at the maximum of 2 1/4 in.

Keywords: KICK BACK, PORTABLE POWER TOOL, CIRCULAR SAW, SAW, LACERATION, STRUCK BY, LEG