Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316348341 - Envision Plastics

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

At about 8:50 a.m. on December 30, 2013, an employee was working as a maintenance mechanic at a trash recycling facility in Chino, California. The firm had about 35 employees on its payroll when it was inspected later. The employee had been employed about 17 months as a maintenance mechanic before the incident. He was working at a picking line conveyor belt located in the trash recycling area in the back yard of the facility. He was adjusting and cleaning the belt, when his right arm got caught between a roller and the conveyor belt. His right arm was completely amputated. Paramedics transported him to Loma Linda Medical Center. The employer reported the incident to Cal/Osha within the timeframe required by regulation. Cal/Osha initiated an inspection of the facility on January 3, 2014 with a couple of management officials at the site. There was no direct witness to the incident, according to the management official who participated in the inspection. Power to the conveyor was on and the belt moving when the incident occurred. There was a 150-millimeter by 175-millimeter (6-inch by 7-inch) opening in the existing guard of the conveyor unit through which the employee put his hand for cleaning. The opening was not kept covered or guarded as required by regulation. According to the employer representative, the employee did not follow the company's lockout/tagout safety rules and did not deenergize the power to the conveyor machine before cleaning the picking line belt. A Cal/OSHA investigator tried to interview the employee on his home phone but was unsuccessful. The employer was cited for not implementing lockout/tagout safety rules and for not covering or guarding the open space on the existing guard, as required by regulation. The original title of the narrative was "Dislocated Shoulder." The industry code in the 170 was for a manufacturer of plastics materials, synthetic resins, and nonvulcanizable elastomers.

Keywords: MAINTENANCE, AMPUTATED, GUARD, WORK RULES, LOCKOUT, ROLLER--MACH/PART, WASTE PROC FAC, CAUGHT BETWEEN, ARM, CONVEYOR BELT