Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1496637.015 - Alpine Cabinet Company

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:45 a.m. on September 30, 2020, an employee was working as a shop helper for a cabinet manufacturer. The employee was being trained by Coworker #1 (machine operator/trainer). It was the employee's third day working at the location. In the previous days, Coworker #1 was showing the employee how to safely operate the electric table saws and other equipment around the shop. Currently, Coworker #1 was instructing the employee on operation of the electric Power-Matic Model 66 10-inch Tilting Arbor Saw. According to Coworker #2 (operations manager) they had just cut a 3/4-inch composite wood board on the table saw when Coworker #1 briefly stepped away to take care of another task. After the cut was complete, the employee allegedly used his gloved right pinkie finger to attempt to flick away a piece of residual wood from the left side of the rotating blade. As a result, the employee sustained a laceration to his fingertip through the glove when his hand contacted the sawblade. The employee was transported in a private vehicle to the hospital, where he was treated and released within two hours and reported back to work the same day.

Keywords: Cut, Cutting, Finger, Fingertip, Hand, Inexperience, Injury Illness Prevention Program, Laceration, Lack of Work Procedures, Machine Shop, Machine operator, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Sawblade, Struck Against, Table Saw, Training, Unsafe Position, Wood