Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1461127.015 - Westland Technologies, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Modesto District Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:30 p.m. on January 22, 2020, an employee was working in the Exotic Bonding Department of a facility that manufacturers specialty coatings and components for vessels (ships, submarines, etc.) operated by the U.S. Navy. The process requires that rolls of graphite strips be cut into square tiles which are used to isolate electronic devices in the vessels where they are installed. The employee was cutting strips on a preform cutter, which is a pneumatically powered guillotine style cutting machine. The employee manually feeds the material in to the cutter and then activates the machine using a two-hand control to make the tiles. The employee then stacks the tiles to the side for progression through the production facility. The employee was having difficulty feeding the material into the cutter, as the material kept getting jammed. The employee reached her hand through the cutting area pulling the material through to unjam the machine. As the employee pulled the material through the machine, the machine activated and the blade struck her right hand. The employee amputated her thumb and index fingertips requiring medical treatment during which the fingertips were reattached. Hospitalization was not required.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Blade, Cutting, Defect, Defective, Defective Equipment, Finger, Fingertip, Guillotine Shear, Jammed, Lack of Work Procedures, Machine Cycled, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Partial Amputation, Reaching, Struck By, Thumb, Unguarded