Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314760877 - T & R Lumber Co., Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: High Hazard Unit - South

Investigation Summary

At 12:15 p.m. on October 24, 2012, Employee #1 was working as a machine operator for T & R Lumber, Inc. He was a fulltime, hourly employee. T & R Lumber, Inc. was a company that manufactured and distributed wooden nursery products, trellises, and stakes. Employee #1 was using a Model Number BBR-O Baker Products band resaw, with employer Identification Number 5B. He was feeding 1-inch by 6-inch (25-millimeter by 150-millimeter) pieces of wood that were cut and fed to the other end of the resaw. A coworker was on the receiving end of the machine, but he did not see the accident. Another coworker, who was the supervisor, was outside when the incident occurred. The resaw's exhaust was designed to collect sawdust, and it began to get clogged with sawdust. Employee #1 put his hand over the exhaust to determine where it was, since he could not see the exhaust hose. He was wearing gloves, and part of the blade near the exhaust was exposed. When Employee #1 put his hand over the exhaust, the moving blade pulled his gloved hand into the blade, resulting in the amputation of the middle and index fingers on his right hand. There were no witnesses to the incident. The cause of the accident was the lack of a guard on the band resaw's blade. The employer reported the accident to the West Covina District office at 1:28 pm on October 24, 2012.

Keywords: SAWDUST, AMPUTATED, BANDSAW, FINGER, GLOVE, MACHINE OPERATOR, CAUGHT BY, SAW, BLADE, UNGUARDED