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Accident: 201080942 - Employee Fingers Are Amputated By Poorly Guarded Machine

Accident: 201080942 -- Report ID: 0950625 -- Event Date: 01/19/1998
InspectionOpen DateSICEstablishment Name
12021659306/08/19982022Golden Valley Dairy Products
At 8:15 p.m. on January 19, 1998, Employee #1 stuck his left hand into a cheese discharge shoot resulting in the partial amputation of his ring and middle finger. Employee #1 was the operator of a Number 359 cheese dicer at a cheese packaging company. A conveyor feeds pieces of cheese into a large hopper. The cheese feeds down into a spindle cutter that shreds the cheese and comes out the bottom discharge chute. This chute and the main cover to the spindle cutter was measured at 9.25 inches. There were three slotted cross bar guards on the bottom of the chutes. Two of the guards were affixed to the chute itself and one to the machine. When the chute is attached the three cross bars had openings that ranged from 2 inches to slightly over 1 inch. The cheese started to build up at the bottom discharge chute and Employee #1 stuck his left hand up the chute and contacted the spindle cutter with his fingers. Employee #1 had been trained in lockout, but the guard clearances were inadequate. The employer subsequently abated this hazard by extending the discharge chutes.
Keywords: amputated, guard, grating, lockout, laceration
Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation
1 120216593 Non Hospitalized injury Amputation Packaging and filling machine operators

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