Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314826512 - Ag-Weld Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:15 a.m. on August 25, 2011, Employee #1, a welder/fabricator with a company that manufactured custom agricultural equipment, was performing a regularly-assigned task of bending metal. He placed pieces of rectangular metal (5.5 in. wide, 3 in. long, and 0.375 in. thick) under a Bliss 60 ton punch press to be bent. Employee #1 used his left hand to place the metal pieces, one by one, on an elevated metal box with parallel tubes resting on the work surface. There was a 4 in. separation between the tubes. The metal piece would be bent downward between the two tubes. He would use his right hand remove each bent piece and toss it into a wooden bin. Employee #1 would use his right foot to depress a foot-operated treadle to initiate the downward stroke of the slide. This punch press had a full revolution clutch. Once activated, the press would not stop until the cycle was completed. Employee #1 placed his right hand under the downward slide of the upper die used to bend the piece and depressed the treadle at the same time. The upper metal die crushed his right hand. Employee #1 was hospitalized at Kern Medical Center for amputations of his right middle and index fingers. The investigation concluded that the employer did not have guards on the punch press or its foot-operated treadle.

Keywords: DIE, AMPUTATED, FINGER, FOOT CONTROL, WELDER, METAL SHEET, POINT OF OPERATION, PUNCH PRESS, PRESS, UNGUARDED