Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1491281.015 - Graham Packaging Company L. P.

Inspection Information - Office: Toledo Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:45 p.m. on September 1, 2020, an employee was working for a firm that manufactured plastics products. She was operating a plastic blow injection machine on line 18. It was making labeled 1-gallon (3.79-liter) bottles. The machine was in a part of the line known as the wheel. Labels were dropping to the ground and on the bottom support structure of the wheel. The employee determined the labels needed to be cleaned up prior to an upcoming label change. While the wheel continued to run, the employee knelt on the floor. She reached under the frame and guarding of the machine to grab the labels that had fallen. Her finger got caught in the drive belt for the labeler. The tip of her left index finger was amputated. The employee's supervisor drove her to the hospital, where the employee underwent surgery on her finger. She was treated without hospitalization. During an investigation on or about September 3, 2020, it was noted that the employer did not ensure that the ship stairs located on either side of the line 18 wheel were equipped with handrails on both sides of the stairs. Employees were exposed to fall hazards when using the stairs to access the work platform on the side of the wheel to perform preventative maintenance tasks such as greasing.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Assembly Line, Belt, Caught In, Cleaning, Finger, Fingertip, Instantaneous amputation, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Machine operator, Molding Machine, Partial Amputation, Plastic, Plastic Mfg, Reach, Reaching