Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126085695 - Pick Your Parts

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:45 a.m. on January 30, 2002, Employee #1, a laborer with Pick Your Part, a metal salvage company in Sun Valley, CA, was cleaning an area around a Nichols Conveyor Baler (Model Number LA006HD86, Serial Number 6755). After he noticed a piece of license plate sticking out of the protective slits in the baler, he tried to force the license plate back into the machine with a pry bar. The machine operator raised the ram, causing the pry bar to become wedged in the baler. This pinned Employee #1's left hand between the pry bar and the license plate. He was hospitalized at Valley Occ-Medical Center in San Fernando, CA for an amputated tip of his left middle finger. Although he was not assigned to the baler machine, Employee #1 was aware he broke a safety rule regarding pinch points for which he received prior training.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, CLEANING, CAUGHT BETWEEN, BALER, RAM