Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119805414 - Con Agra Frozen Foods

Inspection Information - Office: Modesto District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 had worked for Con Agra for 5 1/2 years as a line service worker. He was using a turkey slicer, removing meat from racks, and placing it in a box. The box is held in a tilted position by a coworker while the operator feeds the turkey into the slicer. Because the turkey kept jamming, Employee #1 was feeding the meat through the slicer knives with the guard removed. The knives caught his glove and pulled his hand into the knives, amputating his finger to just below the nail. Employee #1 said that no supervisor was present when he removed the guard. He stated that the company had instructed him on safety practices and that he was familiar with them, including the prohibition against using equipment with the point of operation guard removed. The coworker who was holding the box stated that he warned the injured twice not to remove the guard and that Employee #1 removed it twice before being injured. Another coworker was on her way to the Mexican kitchen line, approximately 25 feet from the accident site, to get the supervisor and inform him of Employee #1's action when the accident occurred. An accident-related violation regarding removal of the guard by the employee could not be sustained because the employer should be able to provide the "employee independent act" defense successfully. A serious citation was issued regarding the size of the guard's opening in relation to the distance to the point of operation. Employee #1 was suspended. He had used the turkey slicer approximately 4 or 5 times prior to the accident.

Keywords: KNIFE, AMPUTATED, SLICER, FINGER, GLOVE, WORK RULES, MEAT SLICING MACHINE, CAUGHT BY, JAMMED, UNGUARDED