Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300779857 - Staffing Source 2000

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on August 5, 2002, Employee #1, a temporary worker of a rice cake manufacturer, was in the packing area near a conveyer belt and a Diablo Pacific metal detector, Model Number DSP1, Serial Number 52111-9. While operating her machine, the machine ahead of the metal detector stopped and went to investigate it. As she walked about 30 ft from her machine, she returned and noticed several bags of rice cakes had fallen off the conveyer belt. They were lying directly beneath the metal detector, which was next to the conveyer belt sprocket drive. She reached into the machine while it was running to remove the bags of rice cakes. One bag slipped from her grasp, she reached inside again to pull it out when her right glove caught the sprocket drive. Her hand was pulled into the moving sprocket and conveyer belt mechanism, trapping her. The operations manager was walking toward the metal detector at the time and, seeing the commotion around Employee #1, attempted to release her hand. When he could not free her, the manager cut off the conveyor belt and released her. Employee #1 sustained a comminuted fracture to the mid-shaft radius and ulna, and coworkers wrapped her arm with a fabric apron and elevated it to prevent bleeding while awaiting the arrival of emergency medical personnel. The emergency medical personnel transported her to a hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. She was hospitalized for two days and then released. The cause of the accident was failure to de-energize the power source for the metal detector and the absence of suitable extension tools

Keywords: FRACTURE, ROTATING PARTS, GLOVE, MACHINE OPERATOR, CAUGHT BY, LOCKOUT, EXTENSION HANDLE, SPROCKET, ARM, CONVEYOR BELT