Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1435024.015 - Big 3 Precision Products Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Fairview Heights Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:15 a.m. on September 24, 2019, an employee was spraying down stock to feed into a Komatsu Model Number E2G400U-D 400-Ton Press. The employee was assisting a coworker (Press Operator) by placing parts in the press and removing them. The team was working inside approximately 250,000 square foot construction machinery manufacturing building. The press is controlled by a single control board which was located approximately 4-feet from the press. The employee was standing on the opposite side of the press during the work. Two Lite Black Max Light Curtains are installed along the open side of the press facing both the employee and the coworker. The light curtain facing the employee was a model LL-MAX-30-AS which was approximately 46-inches above the floor. An approximately 15-inch gap was present between the bottom of the light curtain and the bed of the press which allowed the employee to insert his hand into the point of operation. The employee caught his left hand between the dye and the ram crushing his hand. The employee was hospitalized and his hand had to be amputated.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Bypass Guard, Caught Between, Crushed, Engineering Controls, Hand, Light Curtain, Machine Guarding, Mechanical Power Press, Pinch Point, Power Press, Unguarded