Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1472928.015 - Conagra Foods Packaged Foods, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa 0751910

Investigation Summary

At 4:30 a.m. on April 8, 2020, an employee was working for a firm that made frozen specialty foods. He worked in machinery maintenance. He was performing an annual preventative maintenance task. He was replacing a grade-80 chain on a V-Mag lift machine. The employee was positioned on a ladder stand. He was going to remove the chain from overhead. He had removed the bottom pin holding the chain, but he failed to remove the top pin connecting the chain to its cradle. The cradle was not clamped per instructions. The extra weight created a lot of resistance, but the employee continued to pull. With his right hand, he lifted the chain to release its tension. With his left hand, he rolled the chain off a sprocket. He was able to raise the chain and cradle high enough to get his fingers between the chain and sprocket. The chain slipped out of his grasp, and his left hand became caught between the sprocket and the chain. The chain and cradle fell, creating a pinch point between the chain and the sprocket. He suffered a fracture to his left middle finger and the amputation of the tip of his left little finger. He was treated without hospitalization. He had locked out the equipment, but he did not follow written work order procedures for this annual preventative maintenance.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Broken Bone, Caught Between, Caught In, Chain, Dropped, Finger, Fingertip, Food processing, Fracture, Hand, Instantaneous amputation, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Maintenance, Pinch Point, Sprocket, Traumatic Amputation, Unstable Position, Work at Elevation