Accident: 170205058 - Fingertip Amputated When Caught In Exhaust Fan
At approximately 8:30 a.m. on September 14, 1999, Employee #1, a shift engineer for the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Francisco since April 1991, was measuring the shaft diameter and shaft pulley diameter for a laundry machine in the mechanical room on the ninth floor of the hotel. He first disconnected the machine's electrical power using a disconnecting switch approximately 5 ft from the unit. He then he climbed the ladder to measure the pulley's diameter. He could see the fan belt was still rotating due to inertia. Employee #1's left hand apparently touched the fan and was drawn into the motor pulley, amputating the tip of his finger near the first knuckle. It was recommended that the employer establish a written instruction procedure for maintenance work on all machinery that may still have moving parts after they have been disconnected from the power source. This particular laundry machine's fan belt takes approximately 45 seconds to come to a complete stop. This accident may have been prevented if the employer had developed a written procedure to instruct employees to wait at least a minute after disconnecting the machine from the power source before removing the fan belt guard. The employer was cited for a violation of T8CCR 3314(a), that concerned cleaning, repairing, servicing, and adjusting machinery.
finger, work rules, amputated, rotating knife, maintenance, fan belt, fan blade, struck against
Accident: 740621 - Sawyer Injured When Board Kicks Back
On July 29, 1999, Employee #1, a sawyer for a manufacturer of wood trusses, was using a short 2-by-4 to stop a web saw blade that was winding down. The board caught a bolt head on the blade and was kicked back. It struck him in the abdomen and knocked him down. Employee #1 sustained internal bleeding, for which he was hospitalized.
sawyer, blade, caught by, kick back, struck by, board, abdomen, work rules, flying object
Accident: 170616346 - Finger Partially Amputated In Bandsaw
At approximately 10:45 a.m. on July 23, 1999, Employee #1, an inmate of Corcoran State Prison, was using a Butcher Boy bandsaw to cut pieces of watermelon when his hand slipped and contacted the blade. He suffered a partial amputation of his right middle finger and was admitted to the prison hospital.
bandsaw, blade, slip, finger, hand, saw, struck against
Accident: 740605 - Mechanic'S Fingers Lacerated In Fan Blade
On July 19, 1999, Employee #1, an air conditioner mechanic, was working at a state/county fire station to correct an erratic shutdown problem on a rooftop air conditioning unit. He put his left hand on the unit to get a closer look and inadvertently got too close to the operating condenser fan. The blade lacerated his third, fourth, and fifth fingers. His third finger was struck at mid-joint and flesh was removed and tendons and nerves were cut; it was surgically repaired.
mechanic, air conditioner, repair, rotating knife, struck against, laceration, finger, lockout, fan blade, work rules
Accident: 170568885 - Finger Injured In Bandsaw
Employee #1 was cutting beef with a Butcher Boy bandsaw when his right hand slipped into the blade, injuring his ring finger and amputating his index finger between the first and second knuckle.
bandsaw, amputated, blade, saw, unguarded, finger, slip, struck against, work rules
Accident: 170570816 - Hand Lacerated In Bandsaw
Employee #1 was using a Hobart bandsaw, serial #27-1031-857, to cut pork loins when his left hand contacted the saw blade. He sustained a deep laceration. The guard that was provided had not been adjusted to cover the unused portion of the blade.
laceration, bandsaw, blade, guard, struck against, hand, saw, work rules
Accident: 170019269 - Killed When Struck By Fan Blade
Employee #1 was present when a cooling fan was being serviced. He was killed when his head struck the moving fan blade. The fan had not been properly locked out. Coworkers were also present and exposed to the hazard, but none of them were injured.
fan blade, lockout, struck against, fall, work rules, rotating knife, head, construction, laceration
