Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126081975 - United Alloys & Metals Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:45 a.m. on March 28, 2001, Employee #1, a metal sorter, employed by United Alloys Inc., sustained a laceration on his right fourth finger as a result of the accident. Employee #1 was passing a 50 pound load of tantalum, measuring about 4 inches thick by 12 inches long, to the metal shear operator. The operator then cut the metal into a 2 inch by 2 inch size using a metal shear manufactured by Enterprise Company. The metal shear was equipped with a manually adjustable guard which consists of a see-through plastic shield to cover the front and two wire mesh and metal enclosures to cover the right and rear sides. The guard can be left inches above the table surface during the cut because of the nature of the design. It was determined that the accident was caused by the design of the adjustable guard, which required manual adjustment each time when different size metal is to be worked on. Employee #1 was standing at the right side of the machine while waiting for the metal to be cut at the time of the accident. The operator was running the metal shear standing right in front of the machine while making the cut. Suddenly Employee #1's feet slipped, and he fell directly toward the point of operation. Employee #1's right fourth finger was able to reach into the point of operation during the accident and was cut severely. Employee #1 was taken by ambulance to USC Medical center soon after the accident and was discharged from the hospital two days later.

Keywords: SHEAR, FINGER, SLIP, CAUGHT BY, LACERATION, POINT OF OPERATION