Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1516267.015 - H-E-B, Lp

Inspection Information - Office: Houston North Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, an employee was working for a regional chain of grocery stores. She was working at a fluid milk processing facility. She was cleaning machinery. She worked for the grocery chain; that is, she was not from a separate firm contracted to clean the machinery after hours. She was in the milk jug facility, cleaning the machinery that filled jugs. She was working on filler units number 0 through number 5. The facility had six similar filler units, labeled 0 through 5. Filler units numbers 1 through 4 were identical. Filler units 0 and 5 were like the others, but they were located within an enclosure. The filler units filled jugs with milk, tea, and orange juice. Sanitation team members were required to clean each filler daily after the end of production. The employee was using a hose to spray the floor and the filler unit number 3 capper turret area. She was also using a sponge to scrub debris on the side of the equipment. When she reached to wipe the side of the equipment, her gloved hand was pulled into moving equipment. It was pinned between the spinning turret (with a cam roller) and a stationary bar. The employee's wrist was fractured; one account said it was crushed. The employee was hospitalized to treat a broken wrist. At the time of the incident, the fillers did not have a readily identifiable energy source. The only way to disconnect power to the fillers was in an upstairs electrical panel located in a different section of the facility. Additionally, employees were not required to deenergize the fillers while cleaning. The employer has already made changes to their procedures for cleaning the fillers. They had maintenance install individual disconnects that could be locked out next to each of the fillers. They also developed LOTO procedures for the fillers and trained employees on them. This incident had inspection number 1516267.

Keywords: Broken Bone, Cleaning, Crushed, Food Preparation, Fracture, Glove, Hand, Lack of Work Procedures, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Retail, Rotating Parts, Sanitation, Work Rules, Wrist