Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315524678 - Sps Technologies Dba Cherry Aerospace

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

On May 24, 2011, Employee #1 was operating an Omniturn /Hardinge CNC cutting equipment (Asset Number 2818). The equipment was used to cut the face of a metallurgical mount with a round disc approximately 1 in. diameter. The equipment operating process involved placing the mount into the collet of the machine. When the "closed" button was activated, the equipment pulled the mount within the machine and held securely. The "start" buttons were next pressed that initiated the programmed cycle on the CNC machine. This action caused a table section on the machine, where the cutter was located, to move to the left of the operator and begin to cut the face of the mount. After Employee #1 had placed the mount into the collet, the cutting tool moved to the left. She had inadvertently placed a finger near the moving cutter and parts when her hand was struck. The machine crushed and lacerated her finger. Employee #1 was transported to a medical center, where she underwent procedures to address the injuries on her finger. Upon completion of the treatment, she was released from the hospital. A coworker ran the machine for one day to see if the machine cycled without activating, but found that it did not. The CNC manufacturer checked the program, but did not find a reason for the failure. Other operators of the equipment were interviewed, but no other instance of the machine cycling on its own was reported. Following an internal investigation of the incident, the employer concluded that it was not probable that the machine cycled on its own, but made changes to the loading of the mount and the placement of a guard to ensure this type of incident did not reoccur.

Keywords: ROTATING PARTS, FINGER, EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, ELECTRIC SAW, CRUSHED, LACERATION, UNGUARDED