Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1528389.015 - The Gsi Group, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Birmingham Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:30 p.m. on April 20, 2021, an employee working for a manufacturer of farm equipment was operating a 75-Ton Niagara B4-60 Mechanical Power Punch Press (SN: 37007) using two-hand controls. The employer stated that the press was manufactured in 1957. The process starts with the employee picking up a 3-foot by 12.5-inch blank weighing 1.39 pounds and placing it into the press die. The employee then presses the two-hand controls (buttons) located on the front of the press above the press bolster plate opening to retrieve the blanked part. Following that, the employee puts the part aside, rotates the residual blank still in the press, and places it into position on the die. The employee then presses the two-hand buttons again, retrieves the blanked part and puts it aside. The employee finishes the process by flicking the small piece of scrap into the scrap bin behind the press and repeating this process. The employee reached into the press to retrieve the blanked part at which time the die closed onto the employee's hand. The employee said the press did not make its normal sounds as it closed and suspects. The employer confirmed there was a machine malfunction. According to the employer, the flywheel travelled backward and down-drifted. The employee was hospitalized to treat three crushed fingers.

Keywords: Caught Between, Crushed, Die, Die Safety Device, Farm Machinery, Finger, Hand, Inadequate Maint, Inspection, Interlock, Machine Cycled, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Maintenance, Malfunction, Mech Malfunction, Mechanical Power Press, Noise, Pinch Point, Pinched, Point Of Operation, Power Press, Press, Press Operator, Punch Press, Reaching, Reaching In, Safety Device, Struck By, Testing, Training, Two-Hand Control