Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1419467.015 - Del Monte Foods, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Appleton Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:00 a.m. on July 25, 2019, an employee was operating Line 3 Whallon Can Palletizer. The employee was the machine operator for the Line 3 pallet stacker (Whallon/Brite Stacker). The machine was operated in automatic mode wherein a magnetic head raised cans from a table fed by a conveyor and swung 90 degrees towards the operator's platform and placed the cans on top of a pallet. The employee observed the operation of the machine, placed cardboard sheets between the layers of cans, and attempted to ensure that cans did not fall off the pallet stack. There was a pressure mat positioned at the corner of the operator platform that was not secured in place. At the time of the incident, the pressure mat only stopped the movement of the magnetic head when the magnet was raising up from the table, swinging towards the operator platform, and/or lowering the cans onto the pallet. The employee went to retrieve a can(s) that had fallen off the pallet or had lost his balance and fell in between the base of the magnet head and the fixed pallet conveyor frame. The employee's right leg was pinched between the base plate and the fixed frame. The employee suffered breaks to the right fibula and tibia as a result of the incident. The employee was hospitalized for treatment.

Keywords: Automatic Machine, Broken Bone, Caught Between, Conveyor, Fall, Food processing, Leg, Lost Balance, Machine operator, Magnet, Pallet, Palletized Cargo, Pinched, Platform, Tibia