Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126152420 - Second Mate Productions

Inspection Information - Office: Los Angeles District Office

Investigation Summary

On June 14, 2006, Employee #1, of Second Mate Productions, and a coworker were planing 16-ft lengths of 2-inch by 12-inch boards. The workers started planing boards at 6:00 a.m. that morning and had completed approximately 400 boards. They were using a Woodtek Electric Planer (Model #816427, Serial # 94038) with blades to rough up the surface rather than smooth it so as to achieve an aged look. The process required two people because the operator and the off-bearer had to turn the board slightly while it was planing in order to get the desired worn and weathered look. During the course of the day, the workers used an air nozzle to blow accumulated dust from the machine. Near the end of the day, Employee #1 used his gloved hand to brush off saw dust and wood chips on the exhaust chute while the machine was running. The employee described that he made a sweeping motion inside the exhaust chute and his glove got caught on the rotating hold-down roller, pulling his hand into the pinch point between the hold-down roller and the fixed part of the electric planer. The employee sustained crushing injuries to the fourth and pinky finger on his right hand. The tips of both fingers were surgically amputated to the end of the nail bed in order to close the wounds. Examination of the wood planer revealed that the cutting heads were adequately covered by solid metal safeguards as required. The opening into the exhaust chute was more than 2 inches high for the full 5-inch depth of the frame to the hold-down roller. The hold-down roller, a moving part of the machine, was not effectively guarded either by the frame of the machine or by location. The employer's training records and employee statements evidenced an effective injury and illness prevention program (IIPP). The injured worker knew that gloves, loose clothing or finger rings should not be worn around moving parts of machinery and had been admonished earlier by his supervisor. However, he chose to wear the gloves to protect his hands from the sticky sap.

Keywords: ROTATING PARTS, AMPUTATED, PLANING MACHINE, CARPENTER, FINGER, GLOVE, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BY, LOCKOUT, CRUSHED