Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312688757 - Stephens Institute Dba Academy Of Art University

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

On 10-02-09 an employee's finger was smashed in a metalworking machine. The accident was never reported to Cal OSHA. Cal OSHA learned of the accident while conducting an unrelated on-site complaint investigation on 04-23-10. The place of employment was a large art University. The accident occurred in a teaching metal shop where activities such as forging and welding occurred. The teacher was in the process of changing dies on a new Say-Mak pneumatic forging hammer (model SPH 50, serial number 18019). The employer had no written lockout tag out procedures or training documents specific to the machine. The teacher loosened the dies and then attempted to raise the ram by energizing the machine. He placed his left hand on one of the dies to steady the die at a time when the machine was not deenergized, locked and tagged out. The teacher explained that he mistakenly assumed the ram movement would behave similarly to another forging machine he had used. To his surprise, the ram oscillated up and down as it moved upward. The ram smashed his ring finger on his left hand on a downward oscillation. A week after the accident the finger was amputated at the first knuckle.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, LOCKOUT, CRUSHED, HAND, RAM