The accident investigation below was opened on Friday, June 30th 2017 by OSHA representitives in Moreno Valley, CA after learning of an incident at Western Case Inc which had occured on Tuesday, May 16th 2017. A 39 year old had been injured when the
Accident Date2017-05-16
Accident DegreeHospitalized injury
NarrativeAt 11:30 a.m. on May 16, 2017, an employee was installing a new saw blade for a Tannewitz 4706PP vertical band saw. A coworker turned the machine off by activating the e-stop and the employee removed the existing blade guard and left to the in-house maintenance shop area to build a new guard. A few minutes later, the employee returned to take a measurement and his hand contacted the running blades, cutting his index finger. Hospitalization was not required. The injured employee sustained serious injuries, including but not limited to, deep lacerations, broken / fractured bones, tendon damage to right index, middle and ring fingers. Injured employee was hospitalized at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley where he underwent reconstructive surgery. Employer was cited the following Serious Accident Related citations:Title 8 CCR Section 3314(c).Prior to and during the course of the investigation, including but not limited to, on June 30, 2017 and May 16, 2017 employer failed to ensure that the vertical band saw (Tannewitz 4706P), located in the production department, was stopped and the power sources de-energized or disengaged, machine components blocked or locked out to protect employees from injury due to inadvertent movement during cleaning, servicing, unjamming and adjusting operations. The employer did not ensure that accident prevention signs or tags or both were placed on the controls of the power source of the machinery during the cleaning, repairing, servicing and adjusting processes. As a result on May 16, 2017 an employee sustained serious injuries when his right hand contacted the running blade of the vertical band saw (Tannewitz 4706P). The running blades of vertical metal cutting band saw.