Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316214352 - Petco Animal Supplies Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:40 p.m. on November 14, 2013, Employee #1, a 24-year-old female operator with Kelly Services Inc., a temporary employment agency, and was working at Petco Animal Supplies. Employee #1 was operating a RAYMOND, Model Number: 8410, electric rider double pallet Jack, designated as Number 23, and was about to park it at the Battery charging station. As Employee #1 was going park it, she lost control when the pallet jack handle, struck against a circular metal plate of an ON/ OFF control panel, in the process smashing her left little finger, between the handle of the pallet jack and control panel box. Employee #1, sustained a partial amputation, of her little finger tip in the event. Initially M5, a management official instructed a coworker to drive Employee #1 to the Employer's clinic, US Healthworks medical Group, in Ontario, California, for treatment and she was sent home within a few hours. The next day, Employee #1 was sent to Employers Medical clinic, Care First Medical Group, in Ontario, California, for treatment and sent home within two hours after treatment. The cause of the incident was that the pallet jack was not kept under positive control during driving to park it at the Battery charging station. In addition the Employer did not identify pinch point hazards of the circular metal plate of ON/ OFF control panel switch exposing EPJ operators to hand injuries. Employee #1 was not a regular employee of the employer and had been operating an electric double pallet jack operator for more than three months. The host employer was primarily a main distribution center engaged receiving, storing and shipping of misc. pet supplies to its' own retail stores including Ecommerce activity i.e. processing & shipping computer generated online orders.

Keywords: FRACTURE, AMPUTATED, FINGER, COLLISION, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, NIP POINT