Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307454041 - Spectrum Custom Design

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:20 a.m. on July 6, 2004, Employee #1, a carpenter at a business specializing in the manufacturing of wooden cabinets, was cutting some wood using a Powermatic table saw, Model Number 72A, Serial Number 9972017. The saw was located in the Build Department, and there was no guard present for the blade. As Employee #1 started cutting a piece of wood, his left hand came into contact with the unguarded blade of the saw. His thumb, index and middle fingers were amputated up to the first knuckle. Emergency services were contacted and Employee #1 was taken to Loma Linda University Hospital, where surgery was performed to attach his amputated fingers. However, the surgery was not successful. During the accident investigation, Employee #1 stated that although he noticed that the saw was missing its guard prior to operating the table saw, he did not contact any management officials to notify them of the condition of the saw. Additionally, it was revealed that it was not a common practice to use the table saw without the guard in place and workers were trained and instructed to always use the table saw with the guard in place. The management would not have allowed him to operate the saw without the guard if they had knowledge of Employee #1's practice. But, Employee #1 stated that he was trying to speed up his production and did not attempt to put the guard on the table saw prior to using it.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, WORK RULES, MACHINE OPERATOR, BLADE, INATTENTION, TABLE SAW