Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125663500 - Sac Industries, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:30 p.m. on January 18, 1996, Employee #1 was operating a 100-ton punch press in a single-stroke, full-revolution mode. The press had two-hand controls, with a limit switch on the crane shaft to stop the cycle. There was no guard on the point of operation; a point-of-operation device was being used. Employee #1 was reaching into the dies to remove a piece--a procedure that had to be done each time a piece was formed-- when the press cycled. His thumb became caught within the dies and was amputated. The employer could not perform first aid because no first aid kit was available. Paramedics from the Sacramento County Fire Department performed first aid and treated Employee #1 for shock before he was transported to a local hospital. Causal factors in this accident included the lack of a hand tool to prevent reaching into the point of operation; the limit switch not operating properly; and the lack of a back-up system when the system failed. Employee #1 had been working at the job for only three days at the time of the accident. During that time he had observed and notified the manager that the press was going through a second stroke without hitting the hand controls.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, HAND CONTROL, WORK RULES, THUMB, EXTENSION HANDLE, PRESS OPERATOR, PUNCH PRESS, LIMIT SWITCH, MECH MALFUNCTION, PRESS