Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: CUTS

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The %% employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to: a) Employees was permitted to operate die casting machine HPN, serial number 68-289, model 600A, resulting in amputation of his left hand on July 21, 1989. The contributing factors were evidenced by the followingfindings: (1) Written safety rules and general instructions given to employee did not include propre procedures mandated by the employer to free stuck shot rods. (2) Employer, as referened in American National Standards Institute B152.1-1973 "Safety Requirements for the Construction, Care and Use of Die Casting Machines", Section 7.2, did not ensure that correct operational procedures are being followed, in that management and set-up personnel employ both the hand hold and tong method to position bar in die cavity when freeing a stuck shot rod. (3) Employee did not exhibit a trained response in following employer's methodology with regard to freeing a stuck shot rod. Feasible Abatement Methods 1) Incorporate safe work procedures into the written safety rules and instructions given to employees addressing specifically the method employees must follow in freeing up a stuck shot rod and the positive enforcement of said procedures. 2) Train management, set-up personnel and die cast machine operators to follow company policy in not violating procedural rules so that the improper example is not viewed and imitated by relatively new vulnerable employees.