OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #824110
FINGER,WORK RULES,CAUGHT BETWEEN,CRUSHED,PRESS
Event description
Employee's fingertips crushed by press
Investigation abstract
On July 20, 1987, Employee #1 was operating an automatic glue machine that appli pproximately 13 ft from the press unit. The manufacturer also installed a light curtain in the press unit in the event that the lid is impractical. Employee #1 did not follow his training and approached the press unit to install filler lumb er while it was on automatic. He rested his right hand on the edge of the machin e body in front and was reaching down with his other hand to pick up the lumber when his fingertips became caught between the beveled lid and the machine body. He hit the STOP button to cease operations. He was then transported to a hospita l, where his fingers were stitched and he was released. The employee had been pr operly trained when initially hired and was trained during employment. Following the accident, management provided refresher training for the operators of this es glue to the edges of pre-cut manufactured stair treads and risers. The lumber machine and installed a reflector on the beam to augment the existing protection . is fed into a press component in the center of the machine where the lumber is compressed for final gluing. The press can only be accessed from the control pan el inside. Employees go to the press to install filler boards when needed; this cannot be done while the press is in automatic mode because a limit switch preve nts the lid from rising above the machine body. Instead, employees must place th e press unit on manual, which then raises the lid 9 in. above the machine. The p ress unit can only be activated with two hand button controls that are located a
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 26 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 10
- Event type
- 2
- Source
- 26
- Occupation code
- 659
- Human factor
- 10
- Environmental factor
- 4
- Task assigned
- 1
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