Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313384331 - Hollander Home Fashions, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On April 29, 2011, Employee #1 was working at a facility where bed pillows were manufactured. Employee #1 had worked for the employer for 14 years, and for approximately 10 years, she performed the duties of a filling operator. A Microgel machine, which had broken down, was deenergized, locked out and tagged out, but the machine's main shaft was still in motion. A mechanic unlocked the door to the machine and instructed Employee #1 to blow out the fibers, while he retrieved his tools. Employee #1 was cleaning the Microgel machine by blowing fibers out of it with an air hose. This task was normally performed by a mechanic and was not a regularly assigned task. Employee #1 contacted a moving part in the Microgel machine and sustained an open fracture of the distal phalanx of the right index finger. She was treated at the Medford Orthopedic Corporation. The plant manager notified the Division about the accident at approximately 1:57 p.m. on April 29, 2011. By Employee #1's account, she was hurt on a chain and sprocket, while holding the air hose in her right hand. By witness accounts, Employee #1 was hurt while attempting to remove a fiber from the rotating shaft's end. They stated that she was holding the air hose with her left hand and reached for the fiber with her right hand. According to multiple witness statements, the only moving part in the machine was the rotating end of the main shaft. The chain and sprocket were not in motion before or after the accident. Employee #1 did not recall if the chain and sprocket were in motion, but stated that "it must have been."

Keywords: CHAIN, FRACTURE, REPAIR, ROTATING SHAFT, FINGER, CLEANING, STRUCK AGAINST, LOCKOUT, AIR HOSE, SPROCKET