Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303692347 - The Washington Post

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, the press operator of a conveyor, noticed that a socket had fallen into the lower section of the conveyor housing. As Employee #1 lay on the floor, reaching into the housing to attempt to reach the socket, Employee #1 asked another employee to shut down the conveyor. After the conveyor stopped, the pick-up table very slowly began to drop to its low position. Employee #1 did not notice it dropping until it began crushing Employee #1's hand against the floor. As Employee #1 yelled out in pain, the other workers used a pry bar to raise the table enough to allow for extraction of Employee #1's hand. A newspaper press was down because of a sheet out (a break in the paper run). Employees had repaired the break and tightened the blanket using a torque wrench and socket. After the work was completed on another level, Employee #2 laid the wrench down on the conveyor housing. When Employee #2 picked the wrench up later, the socket was not on the wrench.

Keywords: CRUSHED, CONVEYOR, PRESS OPERATOR, HAND, PRESS