Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311493407 - Winston Churchill High School

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

Investigation Summary

On October 1, 2007, Employee #1, a Technical Education Teacher, was cutting 5-in. wide by 1-in. thick by 17-in. long wood stock for material to use during his fifth and sixth period classes later in the day. Employee #1 used a Delta 10-in. Contractors table saw, Model Number 36-444 which had the top hood guard, spreader, and anti-kickback devices properly installed on the table saw to cut the stock. During the cut Employee #1 used a scrap piece of wood as a push stick to advance the stock past the blade of the saw. As the stock made its way past the blade Employee #1 reached to the left of the hood to retrieve the scrap that was cut from the stock. When Employee #1 attempted to pick up and remove the scrap stock from the top of the table the back section of the wood hit the rotating blade, which turned at 3,450 rotations-per-minute, and kicked between the table and hood causing the wood to be pulled backwards into the blade. Employee #1's fingers were pulled in under the cantilevering hood and into the blade of the table saw. Employee #1's left middle finger and top of the left thumb were amputated. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he was admitted and received surgery to reattach his finger and thumb. Employee #1's middle finger was able to be reattached, but the thumb was not. Employee #1 was held in the hospital for one and a half days.

Keywords: KICK BACK, ROTATING PARTS, AMPUTATED, FINGER, THUMB, BLADE, TABLE SAW