Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1575295.015 - United Staffing Associates, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:30 a.m. on December 13, 2021, an employee, as part of his duties, was to check on the hash dust that was being collected by the bag house. Debris made its way down a hopper and entered a Donaldson Torit FT-12-STD Rotatory Airlock before being deposited into a large plastic tote. Inside the airlock was a series of metal fins set up in a circular fashion. Along the perimeter of the fins was a rubber seal that maintained the vacuum pressure within the equipment. As the fins spin, the debris is deposited from the machinery and into the tote. The fins operate off a 1.5 horsepower motor and rotate at 1725 RPM. The employee was taking a break when he was notified by coworkers that the hash dust had built up in the tote to where it was about to overflow. The employee immediately went to the area and proceeded to use his hands to level out the pile that had accumulated below the airlock. As he was leveling the dust, his right hand made contact with the rotating fins of the airlock. The employee suffered a traumatic right hand injury with partial degloving and partial amputations of the right middle and thumb fingers with tissue and tendon exposed. The employee was hospitalized for treatment.

Keywords: Air Shaft, Clearing, Contact, Degloving, Dust, Dust Collector, Finger, Partial Amputation, Rotating Parts, Rotating Shaft, Thumb, Tote Box, Unguarded