The accident investigation below was opened on Thursday, May 18th 2017 by OSHA representitives in Orange, CA at Statek Corporation. A 26 year old man working as a Machine operator was injured on the job when the employee's finger was lacerated when caught in unguarded mach
Accident Date2017-04-10
Accident DegreeNon Hospitalized injury
NarrativeAt 9:45 a.m. on April 10, 2017, Employee #1 set up the Hamai Double Sided Lapping Machine /Polisher, Serial # 9BF6B-4M10PD; NO3432; Date 2011.06, for cleaning. A lower drum rotates the bottom pad clockwise while the top pad rotates against the bottom pad counter-clockwise. During conditioning mode, four gears are placed between the pads and rotate along the inside of the outer wall of the lower drum. A gap of approximately 0.5625 inch was measured between the pads, exposing employees to crushing or amputation hazards from the rotating gears. While a Plexiglas shield provided guarding around the sides and back of the machine, the track around the front of the machine was in unguarded. The front portion of the machine which was unguarded measured approximately 30 inches in width. The employee placed the machine in conditioning mode by placing 5 wheels (gears) in between the two revolving machine pads. While the machine was conditioning/cleaning its pads, the employee wiped down the outer rim of the machine near the conditioning operation. Employee #1 inadvertently placed his left ring finger in the zone of danger and the gear rolled over the tip of his finger. The employee reacted by pulling his finger out quickly, and discovered it was bleeding from a laceration. The incident was reported to the supervisor.