Accident: 813386 - Killed When Caught In Mixer

On October 16, 2000, Employee #1, age 18 year, was cleaning a mixer. He was reaching inside when the mixer engaged and he was drawn in. Employee #1 was killed. The mixer was not locked out, and a device had been used to override the two-hand controls.

mixer, cleaning, caught by, lockout, work rules, two-hand control, rotating knife

Accident: 120331954 - Finger Amputated In Ribbon Mixer

On July 13, 2000, Employee #1 was using a horizontal mixer to make salsa. There was no visible model or serial number on the mixer unit itself; however, according to the quality assurance manager the make was Reitz S.S. ribbon blender, model #RS 24-20, serial #10162. Employee #1 was standing in front of the discharge gate. After emptying the salsa from the mixer into the bin, he was reaching with his left hand to press the STOP button of the mixer when he slipped. As he slipped, his right hand entered the discharge gate, amputating his thumb and index finger. The plant manager took him first to Foothill Medical Center, then to Intercommunity Hospital, and finally to the Western Hand Center. According to Employee #1 and coworkers, the front guard on the discharge gate was not in place at the time of the accident. During a visit by OSHA on July 17, 2000, the floor of the salsa mixing area was wet. The physical, environmental, and human factors that contributed to this accident were (1) failure to have in place the guard for the discharge gates; (2) the presence of wet, slippery floors; and (3) failure to identify during the quarterly inspection that the guard was missing. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 had been working as a food preparer for the employer for four months.

mixer, rotating knife, finger, slip, slippery surface, housekeeping, amputated, work rules, unguarded, struck against

Accident: 170205116 - Fingertip Amputated In Coffee Grinder

At approximately 9:37 a.m. on July 6, 2000, Employee #1, of Dixon Coffee & Roasting Company, was making an espresso drink for a customer when she noticed that there was no espresso in the machine and so switched on the grinder to make some more. The grinder did not start immediately and she lifted the lid to look inside. Employee #1 then stuck her right index finger into the area where the coffee comes out of the hopper. It struck the rotating grinder blade and was amputated at the first knuckle. She was transported to the California Pacific Medical Facility, where she was treated and released. This was Employee #1's third day on the job as counter help. At the time of the accident, she was not under pressure or in a rush to perform her duties. No accident-related violations were found in connection with this incident.

amputated, rotating knife, work rules, inexperience, struck against, finger, grinder

Accident: 119948487 - Fingertip Amputated In Meat Grinder

At approximately 5:40 a.m. on June 7, 2000, Employee #1 was trying to clean or clear a product jam from the discharge port of a Butcher Boy meat grinder. In the process, he amputated a portion of the first digit of his left index finger. Employee #1 was transported by private automobile to Kaiser Permanente Hospital, where he was treated and released.

amputated, finger, jammed, meat grinder, struck against, lockout, rotating knife, grinder, work rules

Accident: 120276985 - Fingers Amputated In Mixer

Employee #1, a foreman for a general contractor engaged in building residential structures, was standing at the operating station of a Groutomatic cement/grout mixer. He was cleaning the mixer while it was running. He bypassed the guard and stuck his left hand into the mixing area of the machine, where it struck against the revolving mixing blades. He amputated the third and fourth fingers on his left hand. Causal factors of this accident were that Employee #1 attempted to clean a revolving mixing machine while it was running, and that he bypassed the safety guards.

construction, amputated, finger, lockout, struck against, cleaning, rotating knife, caught by, work rules, guard