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

29 CFR 1910.147(d): The established procedures for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) were not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1) through (6): (a) Plastics Building - To check for and clear blockages, plastics operators removed one or both 90-degree pipe elbows from the body vents on the side of the airlock for hot air pellet dryer #1, which exposed the airlock's rotary blades. Prior to removing the 90-degree pipe elbows, the employees did not turn off the airlock [per 1910.147(d)(2) requirements]. As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [(d)(6)] did not get implemented to protect the employee from equipment servicing hazards, such as caught-in or struck-by. On or about December 9, 2019, a plastics operator removed a 90-degree elbow and stuck his finger into a body vent to clear an apparent piece of debris, and a rotary blade caught the employee's glove, resulting in an amputation injury to a fingertip. No abatement certification or documentation required.