Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 001 Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(3)(ii): The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury, shall be guarded. The guarding device shall be in conformity with any appropriate standards therefor, or, in the absence of applicable specific standards, shall be so designed and constructed as to prevent the operator from having any part of his body in the danger zone during the operating cycle. On or about July 13, 2022, at an establishment located at 520 North Main Street in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, in Bay 9, Initial Processing Department; at the Farquhar 250-ton hydraulic press; employees assigned to operate the press for straightening steel and aluminum parts had their hands exposed to the lowering ram's pinch point and caught-under crushing hazards likely to result in amputation or other serious injuries. Operators were required to place their hands near the unguarded point-of-operation and its associated danger zone to hold wood blocks in position between the stationary aluminum parts on the bed and the ram lowering onto the block for the initial contact. The employer did not safeguard the point-of-operation to prevent operator's access during the hazardous vertical downstroke. Abatement documentation is required for this item in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1903.19(d).