Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313383739 - Hughes Bros Aircrafters Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On January 7, 2011, Employee #1, of Hughes Bros. Aircrafters Incorporated, was in the process of moving a tool die with a forklift driver in order to stack and store it. The die weighed approximately 400 lbs.. The forks of the forklift contained a chain and hook apparatus, which connected the two pins and balanced and hoisted the die. While Employee #1 was guiding the die into position, with the assistance of a coworker (the forklift driver), he pushed on the die with his left hand, causing it to become unbalanced. The tool die tipped at an angle, which caused the punch to separate from the die base. The punch dropped approximately 2 ft on to the employee's right thumb, catching it between the punch and another die below. Employee #1 was transported to Kaiser Hospital for treatment of the amputation of the tip of his right thumb. The tip of the finger bone was shaved off as part of treatment.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, THUMB, CAUGHT BETWEEN, UNSTABLE LOAD