Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315774497 - Safeway Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Foster City District Office

Investigation Summary

At about 3:25 p.m. on June 21, 2012, Employee #1, a meat cutter with Safeway Inc., was cutting beef shanks into slices when his index and middle fingers on his right hand came into contact with the running saw blade. As a result, Employee #1 suffered a partial amputation of these fingers. He was hospitalized for 12 days. He underwent surgery to reattach his fingers. Employee #1 stated that he did not use a pusher plate when he was cutting beef shank on the band saw because he was not taught to use it for this operation, for slicing shanks. The Employer provided signed documents by Employee #1 (on the band saw safety sheet) which included a statement "you must use the pusher plate when cutting close to the product to prevent your fingers from getting too close to the blade." However, Employee #1 never used the pusher plate and was not trained to use it. Employee #1's supervisor (the current meat manager) admitted that he had observed Employee #1 cut beef shanks in the past without using a pusher-plate on the band-saw It was determined that the employer failed to: implement safety training (T8 CCR 4543(c)); and, ensure that its employee used the pusher plate provided with the Hobart Meat Band Saw (Model 6801),when slicing short ends of meat.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, SLICER, FINGER, WORK RULES, SAW, BLADE, UNTRAINED, UNGUARDED