Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309298446 - Kirkhill Ta

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

On February 2, 2007, Employee #1, a mill mix operator, was employed by a primary employer to work for a secondary employer engaged in the manufacturing of custom silicon elastomers. The product was mixed using a rubber mill that consisted of two adjacent metal rolls, set horizontally, which rotated in both forward and reverse. Product was processed by hand, by repeatedly running it through the rubber mills. The rubber was milled to the needed thickness, oven cured, rolled and warehoused. The rubber mill rolls were cleaned by running clear gum stock through them to pick up residue left from the previous batch. Final cleaning of the rolls was done by wiping them down, by hand, with a towel or rag. Employee #1 was assigned to clean rubber mill #3 as part of his regular duties. He was doing the final cleaning of the rollers but had not de-energized the mill. He stated that he was not instructed to trip the safety device and padlock it for the final cleaning. He had the cleaning towel in his right hand and was turning the mill on and off with the push buttons, wiping the rolls while they rotated. His towel and right hand got caught in the pinch point where the rolls meet. He sustained serious injuries to his right hand and was hospitalized, where he underwent distal phalanx amputation of his index, middle and ring fingers.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, CLEANING, MACHINE OPERATOR, MIXER, LOCKOUT, MILLING MACHINE, CAUGHT BETWEEN, NIP POINT, UNTRAINED