Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313380099 - Southland Box Company

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:18 p.m. on November 18, 2009, Employee #1, a machine operator, was observing a rotary die cutter and printer machine, Ward 458, which was jamming repeatedly. The stack of cardboard paper was placed at the feed end of the machine and the finished product would come out on the other end. The rotary die cutter and printer would take the cardboard in, print characters on it, and then make slots in the cardboard for folding it into a box. It operated at a high speed. These cardboard pieces were then conveyed through by Greenline Sheet Stacker, Serial Number DCB-270. In an effort to fix the problem, Employee #1 stood by the machine to observe the movement, in order to determine the cause of the jam. As he turned towards the rear of the machine, he lost his balance. He tried to brace himself, but his right hand and forearm went inside of the machine, in between the unguarded rollers. A coworker, who was stationed by the stacker, heard him scream and shut off the machine. Employee #1 asked his coworkers to call the fire department and the mechanics to free his hand. There was no supervisor in the area at the time of the accident and only the supervisor was equipped with a radio to call the mechanic. A coworker, who had a cell phone, called the supervisor, who in turn called the mechanic. Employee #1 was freed from the machine by the mechanics and was taken by the paramedics to a nearby hospital for treatment. He was later transferred to another facility for surgery. Employee #1 was hospitalized for one week.

Keywords: ROTATING PARTS, MACHINE OPERATOR, JAMMED, LOCKOUT, ROLLER--MACH/PART, CAUGHT BETWEEN, ARM, LOST BALANCE, HAND