Anthony International: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jul 21, 2010: Employee amputates finger in power press guard

At approximately 7:40 a.m. on July 21, 2010, Employee #1 was employed by the tem porary employment agency Select Staffing Leasing and working at Anthony Internat ional, a manufacturer of freezer doors for the wholesale trade, in Sylmar, CA. E mployee #1 was operating a punch press. He fed metal stock to the machine from h is left-hand side through an opening in a guard. As Employee #1 fed the metal st ock into the press, his right finger rested on the top surface of the metal stoc k, below the upper edge of the guard opening. When Employee #1 activated the pun ch press with his foot, the metal stock moved up, catching the index finger on E mployee #1's right hand between the metal stock and the edge of the opening. His finger was crushed by the guard opening, and Employee #1 sustained an oblique a mputation of the distal one-third of his right index finger. Employee #1 was tra nsported to U.S. Health Works Medical Group in Encino, CA. The accident occurred because the size of the guard opening allowed Employee #1 to place his finger i n the pinch point created by the guard and the stock. The injury was serious as defined by 330(h). The guard was inspected after the incident. The opening in th e guard was one inch away from the point of operation. The height of the opening above the die was not provided in the report. The employer did, however, reduce the height of the opening above the die between the time of the accident and th e time that inspectors arrived at the site.

Incident on Jun 23, 2007: Employee thumb amputated by unguarded machine sprocket

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on June 23, 2007, Employee #1 was cleaning the LASEC assembly line in Building K. The facility manufactures parts for refrigerators. Employee #1 had been working for the company about one year and three months, a nd performed the duties of LASEC assembly line machine operator (assembler II). Employee #1's left hand was caught by the unguarded chain and sprocket of the ma chine, which transmits the torque from the motor to the shaft for moving the rol lers of the assembly line. Employee #1 thumb was amputated, and he was transport ed to Holy Cross Medical Center and was treated for one day.

Incident on Jan 12, 2004: Employee amputates fingers while operating punch press

On January 12, 2004, Employee #1, a punch press operator, was working in the met al fabrication department of a glass door manufacturing facility. His supervisor instructed him to perform a lockplate operation, which involves placing three s mall components together. Once the components are placed into the die mold, the punch press comes down and mashes the rivet shaft which keeps the pieces togethe r. The 22-ton partial revolution punch press, manufactured by Bliss, Model Numbe r C-22, experienced a problem with its light curtain a few months earlier, which required the employer to install a new light curtain with a controller box. Fol lowing the repair, the employer tested the machines performance and it was deter mined operational. Additionally, while performing the lockplate operation, the l ight curtain was functioning properly. The punch press is always operated by a p ress pedal. If the foot pedal is not depressed and the operator's his hand enter s the light curtain, the press will stop. If the operator depresses the foot ped al while his hand is breaking the light curtain, the press will not cycle. Howev er, if the employee continually depresses the foot pedal, and places his hand th rough the light curtain, the press will cycle itself, depending on the location of the ram. There is no anti-repeat function. For some reason, a malfunction occ urred and Employee #1's right hand came into contact with the press. He received lacerations on his right index and middle fingers, as well as loss of bone on h is middle finger. Employee #1 was hospitalized and treated for his injures, whic h required partial amputation of his right middle and index fingers. Employee #1 was experienced and knowledgeable in the proper operating procedures having ope rated the press for 7 years. An investigation determined the employer could have prevented the accident by implementing a more effective energy control procedur e, properly identifying the function of all control buttons and switches on the power operated presses, color code all control buttons and to conform to the cod e, and instating tonnage and stroke requirements. Also, the control system was n ot constructed so that a failure within the system would not prevent the normal stopping action from being applied to the press when required, but does prevent initiation of a successive stroke until the failure is corrected.