Inspection Detail

Inspection: 14836944 - D & L Builders Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At 11:45 p.m. on May 1, 1984, Employee #1 was flattening a 1 1/4 in. by 1 in. board, at least 8 ft in length, on an Egan Manufacturing Co. jointer, model #285. He was making hinge stiles for interior shutters and was flattening the last of 10 pieces of lumber. The jointer was equipped with an 8 in. horizontal cutting head with three blades. There was no guard for the cutting head installed on the jointer and there was not one available to use. The employee did not have the fence or gauge on the jointer at the time of the accident. He was using his hands to push the board over the cutting head and maintain pressure on the board to get an even cut. His left hand was toward the front of the board and his right hand was behind the cutting head. As he was pushing the board over the cutting head, the board hit a slick spot and moved forward suddenly. His right ring finger contacted the cutting head of the jointer, amputating the fingertip. Employee #1 is employed by his brother, works his own hours, and is his own supervisor. He has been using woodworking tools for approximately 8 to 10 years and is an experienced operator. During an interview, he explained that for the particular operation that he was doing at the time of the accident, had a guard even been available for the jointer, he would probably not have used it. There is a self-feeder which the company has for the jointer but could not have been used for this operation. He also explained that when flattening boards he does not use the fence. It is used only when edging boards. According to the employer, the jointer was probably manufactured during the 1950s and the company never manufactured a guard for this jointer.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, WORK RULES, BLADE, UNGUARDED