Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300762317 - Interstate Brands Corp

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On July 17, 2001, Employee # 1, an employee of a large wholesale bakery, was struck in the groin when bread boards from a bread board machine began misfeeding. The bread board machine was one piece of equipment in the Parisian Bread line. The machine fed individual boards under a hopper, which placed a light covering of corn starch on top of the board. Employee # 1 would then place bread dough balls on the board. When the board was full, Employee # 1 would pick the board up and place it in a portable rack. The bread board machine had a limit switch, which detected the removal of the board, and the machine would automatically feed another board into that place. When the limit switch detected the presence of the new board, it would stop the conveyor at the proper place. On the day of the accident, the machine's detection and placement system failed, and the machine fed boards on a continuous basis. Normally, these boards would have fallen on to the floor. Employee #1 had apparently stationed himself in a position so that the discharging boards were capable of striking him in the groin. A hand truck full of bread boards, which had been left directly behind him, hindered his attempt to extract himself from the location. This allowed the machine to continue pushing the board into Employee #1's body. This Parisian Bread line operated intermittently. When not in operation, the bread board machine and related equipment were rolled into a storage area. Therefore, the arrangement of the equipment in the line had no fixed location. The bread machine was manufactured by Super Grain Corporation (SGC). The machine is Model Number PB-3, Serial Number PF-108, and was manufactured in April 1988. Employee #1 stated that he has nerve damage. He suffers from painful erections and testicle pain. He also has pain down the right lower back and experiences pain traveling down the inside of his left leg like a lightening bolt.

Keywords: BOARD, STRUCK BY, LIMIT SWITCH