Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112092945 - University Of California San Diego

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on March 3, 1992, Employee #1 was operating a table saw dado, cutting the inner side of a piece of birch wood measuring 43 in. long by 3 in. wide by 3/4 in. thick. He was building a stand for a monometer instrument at the campus woodshop, cutting dado holes 1/4 in. deep by about 2/3 in. wide by 3 in. long along the middle section. His left hand was holding the far end of the wood and pushing it past the blade while his right hand held the inner end at waist level. When he raised the wood with his right hand at a 30 degree angle to check the hole, the dado blades grabbed the wood and kicked it out of his hands. His left hand dropped next to the blades and his fingers were lacerated and fractured. He called his coworker next door for help, and was hospitalized. He had 3 months formal training in table saw operation and 1 year of experience. According to his supervisor, Employee #1 made an error by raising the wood at the inner end while cutting the wood with dado blades. No defects were found in the equipment. The employer had no previous knowledge of the hazard and could not have foreseen the accident.

Keywords: KICK BACK, FRACTURE, FINGER, WORK RULES, LACERATION, BLADE, TABLE SAW