Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313382020 - Jmi Sanitation Service Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:00 p.m. on July 12, 2010, an employee was performing his duties of employment as equipment cleaner. The work was conducted after normal business hours. At the time of the incident, the employee was cleaning a portion of a raw ground meat line that detected and removed foreign material within the product. The system was manufactured by Safeline, was an electrical and pneumatic system operating at 110V and 150 psi respectively and was comprised of a metal detection and X-ray inspection module serial number 2958501E and a reject mechanism serial number 928138.005.009. This unit was a stand-alone system that had a single power source supplied by a flexible cord. When foreign material was detected in a portion of ground meat, the inspection module sends a signal to activate the reject mechanism. This reject mechanism, resembling a ball valve through which the meat passed, turned 90 degrees cutting of the contaminated portion which was then pushed out to a waste bin. It was this reject mechanism that the employee was cleaning. With the inspection module energized as well as connected to the reject mechanism, the employee began to dissemble the reject mechanism. As a coworker attempted to unscrew the ball valve, the reject mechanism activated closing on his middle finger resulting in an amputation near the first knuckle. The employee was hospitalized and treated for finger amputation.

Keywords: JANITOR, AMPUTATED, FINGER, CLEANING, CAUGHT BY, LOCKOUT