Affiliated Temporary Help: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Apr 15, 2020: Employee crushes finger while using gantry crane

At 9:00 a.m. on April 15, 2020, an employee was covering for a coworker, who was taking a break, and engaged in removing rack components (frames) from the paint line to relocate them to other locations. The employee was working with gloves, safety glasses, a hard hat, ear plugs, safety boots, lifting hooks, and a remote control for the gantry crane. The employee placed the first lifting hook and then failed to follow the company's framing protocols while placing the second lifting hook. While reaching around the frame to place the second hook, the employee could no longer see his hand, and while holding onto the hook after placing it, he activated the gantry crane's remote, causing it to begin lifting. The hook pressed the tip of his finger against the frame, causing a crushing injury. The employee was treated and released from Stacy Medical Center. The primary contributing factor to the accident was that the employee did not follow the company's framing protocol in the manner in which he placed the second lifting hook, and by leaving his hand on the lifting hook while activating the remote.

Incident on Jan 27, 2003: Employee sustains hand amputation when he unjammed machine

On January 27, 2003, Employee #1, was on an elevated platform attempting to unja m a squeezer machine. The squeezer machine is composed of a conveyor system, a m agnetic separator that separates paper from metal, and a crusher that grinds met al. A coworker, a machine operator, was at the floor operating from the control panel. The coworker first noticed a jam due to the noise the jam had created. Up on noticing the jam, the coworker instructed Employee #1 to go up to the platfor m to unjam the machine. Employee #1 dropped two metal plugs (weighing about 50 l bs. each) into the machine opening. The metal plug is used to clear any clog acc umulated in the machine as the jam occurred about three times per work shift. At the time the second plug was dropped, Employee #1 noticed the plug was not alig ned properly and attempted to adjust the plug. The coworker accidentally activat ed the control and causing the injury. It was determined the machine was energiz ed during the unjamming process and it had been a common practice to unjam the s queezer machine while the machine is energized. Paramedics took Employee #1 to S tacy Medical Center in Vernon soon after the accident. Cal/OSHA determined the a ccident was caused by not implementing the lock-out tag-out procedures by deener gizing or disengaging the squeezer machine from its power source. The employer, (Commercial Filter Recycling Inc. an incorporated company engaging in used oil f ilter recycling business) did not ensure nor enforce the use of the lock-out tag -out procedure as the Division had learned that it was a common practice not to follow the lock-out tag-out procedure while dropping and adjusting the metal plu gs used as a means to unjam the clog. In addition, the employer did not provide suitable extension tool to protect its employees from inadvertent movement or po tential hazardous energy when adjusting the metal plug.

Incident on Oct 16, 1990: Employee's fingertip amputated when caught in chain

On October 16, 1990, Employee #1 of Affiliated Temporary Help, was working at th e Dependable Highway Express warehouse. He inserted a bolt to hold together a ch ain around a pallet on a forklift truck, but instead of fastening it by mechanic al means, he held the bolt in his left hand. As the forklift truck pulled back, the tip of his left little finger became caught between the bolt and the chain a nd was amputated. He was treated at White Memorial Hospital for 2 days. The empl oyer was cited for a violation of T8CCR 3202, failure to train employees in safe work practices.