Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1506659.015 - Cargill Meat Solutions

Inspection Information - Office: Wichita Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:45 p.m. on December 4, 2020, an employee was working for a firm that slaughtered animals other than poultry. She was working at a meat processing facility. She was at a workstation that had two automated, or "smart," saws. Her coworker, who ran the other smart saw at the workstation, had called I sick, so the employee was operating both smart saws. The employee's supervisor told her to be safe. The two saws did not operate in quite the same manner. On the smart saw that was to the employee's left, when the emergency stop button was actuated, the motor and blade both stopped. On the smart saw that was to the employee's right, when the emergency stop button was actuated, the motor stopped, but not the blade. This saw had, as well, a light barrier that worked the same way. If the light barrier were broken, the motor stopped, but not the blade. The saw was a Butcher Boy model SA 18 saw. In this incident, as the employee was operating the saws, a jam occurred on the saw to her right. The employee hit the emergency stop button and grabbed the piece of meat that was causing the jam. The running sawblade struck her fingertip. Her fingertip was amputated. The employee was treated without hospitalization.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Finger, Fingertip, Instantaneous amputation, Jammed, Light Curtain, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Meat Processing, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Reach, Reaching, Reaching In, Sawblade, Struck Against, Supervisor, Traumatic Amputation