Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1455893.015 - Menard, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Eau Claire Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:30 a.m. on January 9, 2020, an employee and Coworker #1 were performing maintenance work drilling out and replacing bolts for an access panel on the pusher table of an auto depalletizing robot (Robot #2) within a robot cell. At the same time, coworker #2 was preparing to test the operational functions of the dunnage robot (Robot #1). Coworker #2 completed maintenance work on Robot #1 while the employee and Coworker #1 remained inside the robot cell. Coworker #2 exited the robot cell to reset the light curtains. The employee and Coworker #1 had entered the robot cell through the light curtains and that neither had isolated the electrical and pneumatic energy sources at the controls on Robot #2 or affixed lockout devices before performing maintenance work. Coworker #2 reset the robot cell perimeter light curtains for Robot #1 and Robot # 2 in preparation for a test run on Robot #1. The Robot #2 pusher table and robot arm turned on after the perimeter light curtains were reset and the run cycle was initiated in automatic mode on the operator control panel. The employee and Coworker #1 were both sitting on the Robot #2 pusher table while repairing damaged bolts on the table, so the pusher arm sensor for the Robot #2 pusher arm detected something on the table that needed to be pushed off. Coworker #1 managed to get off the pusher table without injury, but the employee was unable to move in time. The employee's feet had dropped down into the recessed area where they had removed an access plate from the table. His feet were repeatedly struck by the pusher arm as the robot tried to complete the normal programmed action of clearing materials from the table outgoing conveyors. His coworkers hit the emergency stop buttons on the outside of the robot cell and helped the employee get off the table and out of the robot cell. The employee was transported to a hospital and admitted to treat a laceration on one foot and extensive bruising and compartment syndrome on both feet.

Keywords: Arm, Caught In, Contusion, Department Store, Electrical, Foot, Insufficient Supervision, Laceration, Light Curtain, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Machinist, Maintenance, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Pushing, Retail, Retail Store, Robot, Robotics, Sheared, Struck By, Supervision, Toe, Warehouse