Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1576333.015 - Neenah Enterprises Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Appleton Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:50 a.m. on January 25, 2022, an employee and a coworker were attempting to fix and clean a malfunctioning guard. They were working in Core Room 2, filling core boxes using the Palmer sand auger as part of their daily activities. As a core box was filling, they noticed the leather chute, which extends from the auger opening approximately a foot, had detached from the auger arm and was hanging by only one side. This caused the sand, catalyst and hardener mixture to clog inside the leather chute and risked pulling off the chute completely. According to the employees, this is a regular occurrence that must be dealt with. While the employee entered the auger area, the coworker went to get a pair of pliers to tighten the wing bolts used to secure the leather chute to the auger. The coworker returned with the pliers and was given the leather chute, which had been removed by the employee. The coworker was using the pliers to clean the chute and remove material that had hardened inside. The employee was attempting to push the auger arm out of the way, when he slipped and his hand entered the chute opening. The injured employee's hand had made contact with the auger, which was still in operation, and resulted in a partial amputation to the index and pinky fingers and a total amputation of the ring and middle fingers on the left hand. The employee was hospitalized.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Auger, Auger Mechanism, Finger, Fingertip, Machine Guarding, Partial Amputation