Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301331328 - Gruma Corp., Dba Mission Foods

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 7:10 a.m. on January 5, 2004, an employee was unjamming and performing repair work on the Twist-tier machine Number 56 near conveyor line Number 7 in the Corn Department. The machine is used for sealing the tops of corn-chips bags which pass through the machine on a conveyor bed. According to employer; the machine stopped functioning on accident day due to the clutch that got stuck and the employee was told to fix the machine as it was hindering production. The employee disconnected the machine from its place and took it to the maintenance shop for repairs. The clutch was repaired in shop and he proceeded to install the machine back in its place. During testing after installation, he found that clutch was getting stuck again, so went underneath the machine to fix it, and got his right index finger pinched in the chain-sprocket drive resulting in loss of tip and a bone loss. The employee was taken to a nearby clinic and to Western Hand Center later for medical treatment and was released after a few hours of stay. Management officials stated that the injured did not follow company's Lockout and Tagout safety rules while fixing the problem; as required. The employee was interviewed through a translator at a later date and stated that he was working under the twist-tier machine Number 56,120-volts, diagnosing the problem when his finger got pinched the moving chain sprocket drive under the machine and was working alone at that time. He also stated that there was no cover or guard on the chain sprocket drive at accident time and had informed the management about the missing guard in past but nothing was done to fix the problem until after the accident happened.

Keywords: CHAIN, MAINTENANCE, AMPUTATED, FINGER, JAMMED, LOCKOUT, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CONVEYOR, SPROCKET, UNGUARDED