Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314822214 - Costco Wholesale Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

On July 20, 2010, Employee #1 was working as a delicatessen manager in the preparation room of the service deli department of a wholesale store. He was running a chicken filet through a Sir Steak Machinery brand, Pro 9 model electric tenderizer, with Serial Number 77194. The machine had a plastic guard at the top opening to prevent the entry of any fingers. A piece of chicken was not going down into the machine, so Employee #1 opened the plastic guard to knock the piece of chicken aside with his fingers. The plastic cover has an interlock to stop the machine when the cover is lifted, but a later test indicated that it took a little over two seconds for the machine to stop once the lid was pulled open. Employee #1's fingers got caught in the rotating blades of the machine, and he sustained an amputation. The report is not specific on the extent. Employee #1 said that whenever he used the machine, it always stopped quickly. During a demonstration after the accident, he remarked that the machine sounded different and took longer to stop. No other employees were in the area at the time of the accident. Employee #1 went to the emergency room, but he was not hospitalized. He underwent surgery at a later date.

Keywords: ROTATING PARTS, AMPUTATED, FOOD PREPARATION, INADEQUATE MAINT, FINGER, ROTATING KNIFE, CAUGHT BY, INTERLOCK, LOCKOUT