Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1394237.015 - All-State Industries, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Naperville Area Office

Investigation Summary

Between 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. on April 9, 2019, in the production area, Employee # 1 was operating an energized T-head press (Model HSP 588/10; Atom, oil dynamic cutting press with movable trolley). He was setting up a machine for the morning shift. It was Employee # 1's first work day as a regular, full-time lead employee. Employee # 1 was using his left hand to operate a toggle switch and his right hand to move rubber material sheets through rollers. The subject control button functioned to both forward and reverse the rollers by turning it left or right. The material had some irregularities that made it difficult to feed. Employee # 1's right hand was holding onto the material away from the ingoing nip point attempting to keep the material's edge away from the opening in the table to feed it correctly. He reversed the movement of the rollers, so that the material could be backed out of the table. The movement of the rollers occurred so quickly that Employee # 1 could not reflexively remove his right hand. His middle fingertip (distal phalanx) on right hand was caught between the two moving rollers. He forcefully pulled his fingertip out of the nip point and suffered amputation. He pressed another control to separate rollers, so that the detached fingertip could be retrieved. There were no eye witnesses and no surveillance video of the accident. He yelled for help and sought first aid from a coworker in the area. Employee # 1 was driven by a coworker to the emergency room. A further surgical amputation for necessary wound care was performed later on April 9, 2019. He was not hospitalized. The employer permitted designated personnel to setup machines by manually feeding rubber material sheets through the rollers. The subject rollers' top-mounted safeguard above was not adequate, as it left a 2-inch opening allowing inadvertent access.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Caught Between, Caught In, Die Cutting Press, Electric Switch, Finger, Fingertip, Hand, Nip Point, Press, Set Up, Unguarded