Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300786746 - Hunter Industries Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:45 p.m. on July 18, 2001, Employee #1 of Hunter Industries Inc., in San Marcos, California, was preparing a mold on Machine Number 322 and was in the process of setting the machine up for production. He encountered some technical difficulty and wanted to see where the machine was catching. When Employee #1 decided to enter the machine, rather than following safety protocol, he chose to enter the interior of the machine through a protective guard that he himself removed. Employee #1 was well experienced with working with mold machines. He has twelve years of experience with his employer and was recently promoted to a position of technical and production control. Employee #1 was aware that he was violating an established safety protocol for the task he was involved in. He admits to taking a short cut and feeling over confidant and wanted to save some time so that he could go home at five o'clock. Employee #1 caught his right hand in the plastics molding machine, resulting in a fractured right thumb and middle finger, and the amputation of his right index finger. A fellow employee transported Employee #1 to Palomar Medical Center where he was hospitalized.

Keywords: FRACTURE, AMPUTATED, FINGER, MOLDING MACHINE, CAUGHT BY, THUMB