Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1475576.015 - Price Chopper Supermarket

Inspection Information - Office: Albany Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:45 p.m. on May 17, 2020, an employee was working as a part-time deli clerk in a supermarket. She fulfilled deli orders for customers. She operated and cleaned the deli slicer. The deli slicer was a Hobart model number 2812 meat slicer, with serial number 63-1003-039. At the time of the incident, she was cleaning it. She was cleaning along the top of the slicer when the belt loop of her pants caught on the start switch. The slicer started and cut her fingers. She suffered the amputation of the fingertips of the index and middle fingers on her right hand. She was treated without hospitalization. A video and several documents were provided to OSHA. The video showed the employee cleaning along the top of the machine when she suddenly pulled her hand back. On the day of the incident, the employee had signed a "Daily Slicer Safety Sign off Sheet." It had a line item that required the slicer to be unplugged while it was being cleaned. She acknowledged signing the form but said she had not read it. She had been issued cut-resistant Kevlar gloves, which can be immersed in water. She had removed the gloves when the incident occurred. The employee had received on-the-job training (OJT) on the deli slicer with an experienced deli clerk. She had completed LOTO awareness training, but she had not completed computer-based learning or training (CBT) on the deli slicer. She said she had never been told by anyone to unplug the machine before cleaning it. The firm's management claimed that the form she had signed was reviewed with employees before they signed it. The employee claimed that nobody had explained the form to her, so she cleaned the machine while it was plugged in. The employer had taken steps to prevent the incident. No violations were observed.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Cleaning, Finger, Fingertip, Food Preparation, Grocery Store, Inexperience, Instantaneous amputation, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Meat Slicing Machine, Slicer, Training, Traumatic Amputation, Work Rules