Inspection Detail

Inspection: 18819425 - Monumental Millwork Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

On May 7, 1986, Employee #1, a general mill helper, was assigned a nonroutine task of ripping scrap lumber pieces into 3/8 in. wide pieces to be used as temporary braces on door assemblies in the mill area. He was instructed by his supervisor to use a hand-held push guide to push the lumber through the saw blade. The supervisor set the saw's table guide to 3/8 in. for the needed cut and demonstrated the process to the employee. The saw blade was unguarded and lacked a spreader or kickback toes. Employee #1, who was wearing safety goggles, began hand feeding the approximately 6 in. wide by 6 to 7 ft long pieces of lumber through the saw blade, pushing them with the hand-held guide. Once the lumber was pushed until approximately 6 in. of length remained to be cut, the employee would step from the operator's position to the left-hand corner of the saw table, reach beyond the saw blade, grasp the lumber and pull the remaining length through. He had done this several times when the hand-held push guide slipped and the first three fingers of his right hand contacted the saw. He was taken to the hospital, where his fingers were stitched and he remained for three days. Employee #1 had received no training except for the single instruction given by his supervisor. The company does have a side-attaching cover guard for the saw blade that was not in use at the time of the accident. Management stated that pressure will be put on supervisory personnel and employees to always use this guard. Company owners will be encouraged to install an adjustable hood guard with spreader and kickback toes to prevent any further injuries.

Keywords: FINGER, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BY, CIRCULAR SAW, SAW, LACERATION, BLADE, UNTRAINED, UNGUARDED