Commex Corporation: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Nov 5, 2019: Employee lacerates hand when struck by miter saw

At 8:30 a.m. on November 5, 2019, an employee wroking as a Production Helper for a plastic film manufacturing plant was in the process of cutting 1-inch thick cardboard cores to the proper width using a miter saw. The finished cores are then used to roll on the finished plastic film product. The employee was a temporary employee that received training on the safe operating procedures of the miter saw from the manufacturer but received wages and benefits from the staffing agency. While cutting the cardboard cores to size he was facing the saw operating it with a trigger switch. There were two bins behind the employee, one of which was used for finished cores and one which was used for for scrap. The employee tossed a piece of scrap behind him in the bin with his right hand. While doing so he also extended his left hand into the miter saw with the cutting disc blade still spinning. The procedure required him to bring the saw arm back to neutral position and wait for the blade to stop spinning prior to removing the cut scrap piece. This procedure was additionally posted on the wall behind the miter saw used by the employee. The employee lacerated his hand and was hospitalized.