Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1476027.015 - Amass Solutions Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Denver Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 11:30 a.m. on May 19, 2020, an employee was working for a temporary staffing employment agency. He had been assigned to work for a solid waste collection firm. This investigation covered both firms, which were located in the same city. The temporary staffing employment agency had inspection number 1476027. The solid waste collection firm had inspection number 1476034. Both inspections had the same UPA number, 1594449. The employee and a coworker were out that day on a Peterbilt Model 320 garbage truck. They were collecting garbage. The employee was working as a helper. At one stop, a two-cubic-yard (54-cubic-foot, or 1.53-cubic-meter) dumpster had been released from the lifting device used to pick it up. The dumpster had fallen into the main hopper of the garbage truck. The two workers were trying to remove the dumpster from the truck. The temporary employee, working as the helper, had climbed onto the frame of the truck. He was using his hands to dislodge the container from the hopper. The employee inadvertently energized the truck's hydraulicly-operated compactor. His right hand was caught in a pinch point between the blade of the compactor and the container. His hand was amputated at the wrist. The employee was treated without hospitalization. The suggestion was that the amputation occurred when the employee's hand was caught, and not later, surgically. The narrative said that "the machine was energized with electrical batteries, a pneumatic system and a hydraulic system." It was not clear whether "the machine" was the garbage truck or the compacting device. The waste collection firm was cited for three lockout/tagout violations and a violation for late reporting. It had not reported the amputation to OSHA until approximately 28 hours later, on May 20, 2020. The employment agency was not cited.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Blade, Caught Between, Dumpster, Garbage Truck, Hand, Hydraulic, Instantaneous amputation, Jammed, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Machine Cycled, Machine Guarding, Multi-employer Worksite, Multiemployer, Nip Point, Reporting, Stuck, Surgical Amputation, Temporary Employment Agency, Temporary Worker, Training, Trash Bin, Trash Compactor, Traumatic Amputation, Wrist