Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1392761.015 - American Textile Maintenance

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:00 a.m. on February 20, 2019, an employee was working for a professional linen service. It provided linens and laundry services for medical facilities. She was employed by the employer as a production employee at the employer's facility in Long Beach, CA. She had worked for the employer for just over six months. At the time of the incident, she was standing in front of a flat work ironer. She was wearing a long scarf. She had her back turned to the machine. As she leaned into the machine, her scarf became tangled in the machine. The employee was drawn into the moving parts of the machine. She and a coworker pulled against the rolls on the machine. Eventually her scarf broke. She suffered an injury to her neck. She was transported to Long Beach Memorial Hospital and treated there. She was hospitalized. Her supervisor was present but did not witness the incident. The incident was reported to the Long Beach District Office by the employer's human resources director at approximately 1:20 p.m. on February 21, 2019, when the employer learned that the injury the employee had suffered was serious and required overnight hospitalization. The reporting requirements of T8 CCR 342(a) were met. Cal/OSHA arrived to investigate the accident on April 11, 2019. The employee had suffered a serious injury to her neck because she attempted to pull herself free of the machine instead of hitting the emergency stop button.

Keywords: Caught In, Clothing, Emergency Stop, Ironing Machine, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Neck, Roller--Mach/Part, Rotating Parts