Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125512418 - Napa Pipe Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 and a coworker, who were temporary workers at a pipe forming and welding mill, were talking through a 40 ft long by 30 ft wide pipe that served as the "bumper" pipe and entrance to the end of a grinder-rotator work station. They were waiting for the arrival of additional pipes to grind in the B mill, where they remove weld fillet from the insides of the pipe and from the milled end. To make talking easier, they had their heads inside the pipe, with Employee #1 at the north end and the coworker at the south end. Employee #1's right hand was outside of the pipe near the widest point at the center when an incoming pipe rolled onto the bumper, amputating a portion of two fingers and crushing his little finger. The accident was caused by Employee #1's failure to heed the warning sign and the warnings given during training to keep hands off the end of the pipe.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, PIPE, INATTENTION