Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307168062 - Maas Hansen Steel Corp

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:45 p.m. on April 6, 2006, Employee #1 was moving a steel roll using an electromagnetic hoisting apparatus. The steel rolls are cut into size based on orders and then distributed to customers. The rolled steel comes into the plant with the edges of the rolls slightly thinner. Each end piece is cut and banded, which produces a telescoping effect in the winded coil and causes its ends to not be completely flat. The next step is that the middle portions of the original roll is cut out. He received a cut section of 13 gauge steel roll, weighing approximately 3,970 pounds, which arrived on a conveyor. The steel roll section was lifted from the conveyor via a 3 ton rated capacity electromagnetic hoist that consisted of three magnet shoes and attached to a three-way spreader bar. One of the hoisting shoes did not sit flat on the wounded coil. The shoe had a 0.25 in. gap at its edge. As it was placed on an adjacent floor pallet, Employee #1 used his hand to guide the roll. His right middle finger became caught in the gap, resulting in its amputation. He was transported to a medical center. At the hospital, he underwent surgical procedures to repair the damage to his finger. After the surgical procedures, he was hospitalized for postoperative treatment.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, STEEL, FINGER, MACHINE OPERATOR, CRUSHED, ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR, MACHINE--MISC