Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1537088.015 - Nappi Fabrication Design

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

At about 12:00 noon on April 15, 2021, an employee was working as a fabricator for a firm that manufactured truck trailers. His work included fabricating axle assemblies. He and his coworkers were under the supervision of a lead fabricator, working to catch up with a backlog of customer orders. In this incident, upon discovering an error in production, the shop lead directed the employee to correct a flaw on an axle being fabricated for a client. The employee was to cut off existing spring pad brackets from the axle and weld new brackets on in their place. The employee was experienced in this task and had performed it before. He moved the axle to a workbench and began to cut off the incorrect spring pad brackets. The employee was operating a corded, electric, paddle switch-actuated, DeWalt heavy-duty small angle grinder, with serial # 2020 20-47 W0AOXK4. It was equipped with a metal cutoff wheel. The employee was using the grinder without its adjustable safety guard. When the employee had cut through most of the bracket, he shifted his position to reach the bracket's other side. He removed his left hand from the grinder's auxiliary handle and placed it on the stock. He continued cutting off the bracket, operating the grinder with one hand only. The cutoff wheel caught on the part and kicked back. It struck the employee's left hand, lacerating the first knuckle on his left thumb a quarter of the way through. The employee also suffered a tendon injury. He was hospitalized. The employer learned about the hospital admission at 9:00 a.m. on the following morning. It reported the injury to Cal/DOSH at 4:55 p.m. on April 16, meeting the reporting requirement. The Division investigator arrived at the site at about 12:45 p.m. on June 17. Several factors contributed to the incident. By not using the adjustable guard and not maintaining a grip on the auxiliary handle, the employee was not using the angle grinder according to the manufacturer's operating manual.

Keywords: Automotive Repair, Bypass Guard, Grinder, Guard, Hand, Hand Tool, Insufficient Supervision, Kick Back, Laceration, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Position, Safety Device, Struck By, Supervision, Tendon, Thumb, Truck, Unsafe Position