Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300801180 - Harvest Container Co Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:15 p.m. on August 3, 2000, Employee #1 was cleaning excess scraps of cardboard from the 36 in. deep pit under the side of a corrugating machine. The corrugating machine fed large rolls of cardboard onto a line where it was cut into various sizes by the blades of the tri-plex. Employee #1 was standing in the pit next to the tri-plex while the operator was changing the cutters. The tri-plex had three sections of cutters that were used to cut cardboard of different sizes. When the cutting size needed to be changed, the operator stood at the control panel facing the tri-plex and it was rotated clockwise so that the next set of cutters was in place. At the time of the accident, the operator was moving the cutters when Employee #1's head became caught between the rotating tri-plex and the rail above the pit. He sustained multiple fractures of his skull and facial bones. The employer was cited for a serious, accident-related violation of T8CCR 3314(a), for failing to provide methods or means to protect employees from injury during movement of the tri-plex corrugating machine.

Keywords: CLEARANCE, FRACTURE, HEAD, WORK RULES, CLEANING, CAUGHT BETWEEN, SKULL, PIT, FACE