Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312691777 - Abco Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

On September 20, 2011, Employee #1 was working for ABCO Mechanical Contractors, Inc., as a service mechanic at a commercial building in San Francisco, CA. The employer received a trouble call that a fan was not exhausting sufficiently. Employee #1 was dispatched to address the problem. There was no foreman as he worked alone on the roof where the fan was located. He turned off the switch, which was mounted on the fan housing. He removed a 2 foot by 3 foot panel to access the fan motor. He proceeded to check its voltage and amperage and found that the electrical system was fine. He turned the fan on and turned it off. The fan blades were coming to a stop. At approximately 9:00 a.m., as he reached to get a tool, his right ring finger was caught and pinched at the in-running sheave and a lower belt. The tip of his finger was amputated. He tried to call the emergency services. He decided to hold and apply pressure to his finger to minimize bleeding as he ran down to the security guard station. Once there, a call was placed for the paramedics. Employee #1 was taken to the California Pacific Medical Center - Davies Campus where they treated and sewed the tip back onto the finger. He was hospitalized less than 24 hours and then was released. The incident was reported to the Division on the same day by the employer and on the next day by the San Francisco Fire Department. A Cal/OSHA Engineer conducted an investigation at the site on September 29, 2011. The employer, building engineer, and Employee #1 were interviewed during the course of the investigation. The employer was a mechanical contractor who services boilers, air conditioners, fans and related type work. There was no serious accident-related violation cited, because Employee #1 did not wait for the fan blades to come to a complete stop before performing his next test routine. Employee #1 realized he should have waited and had gone against company policy. Employee #1 was trained through an apprenticeship program and also trained in the company's lockout/tag out procedures. He had worked for the employer for 5 years doing the same routine in troubleshooting a fan problem. No other violations were observed.

Keywords: MAINTENANCE, AMPUTATED, FAN, FAN BLADE, FINGER, MECHANIC, CONSTRUCTION, LOCKOUT, CAUGHT BETWEEN