Inspection Detail

Inspection: 996766.015 - Excel Cabinets Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:50 a.m. on September 12, 2014, an employee was working as a woodworker for a firm that manufactured kitchen cabinets and counter-tops. He was working the day shift from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the KD department of the employer's facility. He had been employed as a woodworker for eleven months and he performed various tasks, including sanding and ripsawing. He was working in the firm's face frame area, when he was using the firm's manual feed table saw Number 21, with Serial Number 22890 to cut wood styles. His job entailed cutting 1.37-meter by 0.89-meter (4.5-foot by 35-inch) pieces of wood into 89-millimeter (3.5-inch) styles. Each whole piece took approximately 18 cuts to finish one job. The employee stated that he had finished several whole piece cuts and that he was on the his last style cut. While he was feeding the saw by hand, when the guide fence of the table saw came loose. No push sticks were available at the time of the incident and the employer did not require their use. When the guide fence moved, the wood piece being cut moved to the left. The hood guard in place at the time was curved on each side. It did not fully enclose the saw blade above the table and above the material. It did not protect against a worker's hand from coming into contact with the saw blade. The employee's left hand came into contact with the saw blade. The employee screamed in pain, and several coworkers came to his assistance. He had cut off his left index finger below the second knuckle and his left thumb below the knuckle. He was hospitalized for his injuries.

Keywords: Amputated, Blade, Finger, Point Of Operation, Saw, Struck Against, Table Saw, Thumb, Wood Panel