Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1394371.015 - Aphena Pharma Solutions, Maryland, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At 3:00 a.m. on April 12, 2019, an employee was working for a manufacturer of pharmaceutical preparations. He maintained machinery. He and a coworker were cleaning a chain on a Doboy Model Mustang IV Wrapper wrapping machine, with Serial Number 93-15502. The employee was using a wire brush to clean chocolate dust and debris off the chain. The chain had plastic clips attached to it to separate ex-lax product as it moved along a table for wrapping in cellophane for packaging. The employee and his coworker removed all guarding, exposing the chain for cleaning. They engaged power to the chain motor to put the chain in motion, while applying force against the chain with a wire brush. The chain was moving at 79 cycles per minute. The employee, positioned at the beginning of the table, where a chain sprocket was also located, spun the lug chain, changing its direction of travel. He was using the chain sprocket as a backing plate, to assist with applying force to the chain with the steel brush. He stated that he felt a poking pain on the tip of the middle finger on his left hand, and he immediately felt his finger become caught. Instinctively, he pulled his left hand toward himself. His left hand, which had a medical grade glove on, began bleeding. His finger had been caught between an 89-millimeter (3.5-inch) diameter chain sprocket assembly and a stainless steel lug chain. He had amputated the fingertip of his left index finger, just above the first knuckle. He immediately placed rags around his injured hand, specifically on the index finger on his left hand. He drove himself to the hospital for treatment. A coworker found the fingertip after the employee had left. He took the fingertip to the hospital, but the physician concluded that it was unusable for reattachment. The employee had the tip of the finger bone shaved to allow a skin flap to cover the wound. He was stitched up and released later that morning. Another part of the account said that he was hospitalized.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Caught Between, Chain, Cleaning, Finger, Fingertip, Guard, Lockout, Machine Guarding, Maintenance, Nip Point, Power Trans Appar, Reporting, Sprocket