Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1451277.015 - Encompass, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Atlanta East Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 3:15 p.m. on December 11, 2019, an employee was working as a machine operator at a mill that made pillows and bedding. She was operating a picker. The pickers, located on pillow production lines one and two, processed fiber material. The employee noticed that a picker had started making a noise and had stopped processing material. The machine was jammed. The employee turned the lever to stop the conveyor and pushed the emergency stop button at the machine's controls. She opened the access gate leading to an area with moving belts, sprockets, and chains. She entered the area without locking out or tagging out the picker. She opened the access door at the end of the picker. As she was cleaning and removing the fiber material from the machine, the maintenance tech was helping her determine what was causing the machine to malfunction. He did not lock out the picker at this time. This was the normal process when pickers malfunctioned during production. The employee reached inside and suffered lacerations to her hand and arm from metal parts inside the machine. She was hospitalized. The maintenance tech indicated that he only locked out the main electrical panels on each production line with he performed the weekly (Friday) maintenance, which included cleaning, lubricating, checking all belts, chains, etc., on all areas of the machines and lines. The picker operators were not provided any locks, tags, or training as authorized employees on the employer's written energy control procedure. The plant director and plant manager indicated that the two maintenance employees were trained as authorized employees and that they locked out the equipment as needed. The written procedures only required that the authorized employees place a lock and tag on the main 240-volt electrical panel for both production lines. The pneumatic and mechanical energy sources were not locked out or tagged out during service and maintenance.

Keywords: Access/Egress, Arm, Clearing, Emergency Stop, Gate, Hand, Jammed, Laceration, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Maintenance, Reach, Reaching, Stop Switch