Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301329140 - Fairchild Fastners

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

On October 10, 2002, the employer was involved in the manufacturing of fasteners. The machine procedure involved a stamp press with a two-hand control. Employee #1 had five years experience. On the day of the accident, Employee #1 was in the process of stamping the head of the bolts. The bolt size was approximately 1.82 inches. The stamp die was approximately 0.25 inches. The stroke distance was approximately 2.7 inches. The time it took for the press to go down 4.5 inches was 1.1 seconds. During the inspection, the inspector tested the two-hand control. It was determined that tying it down could defeat the two-hand control since it does not require that the controls be released before starting a new stroke. It also does not require that the controls be activated simultaneously. According to Employee #1, the stamp went down by itself when he was injured. The accident happened as he was trying to get a part unstuck from the holder. He stated that his hand was not near the controls. Employee #1 also claimed that he did not tie down the two-hand controls. No one witnessed the accident directly. However, other employees have noted that in the past the controls were tied down. Two coworkers who worked on the day shift recalled seeing one of the controls tied in the past. A third worker noted that on the day of the accident the controls were tied down. A fourth worker noted that just prior to the accident, he saw Employee #1 using the stamp press with one of the controls tied down. The injury to Employee #1 resulted in the amputation of the tip of the right middle index finger, and he was transported to Universal Industry Care for treatment.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, MACHINIST, CAUGHT BY, TWO-HAND CONTROL, PRESS