CP Feeds LLC: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Apr 27, 2017: Employee's finger is amputated by vertical auger on trailer

At approximately 10:45 a.m. on April 27, 2017, an employee was running the vertical auger in order to remove the mineral material from the system. The employee was a truck driver delivering feed product to various farms in the area. While at the feed mill, the trailer (Walinga, Date of Mfg: March 2, 2015, VIN: 2W9HA4022FG001107) was loaded with protein in compartments 1-5, 8 and 7 and the mineral in compartment 6. The employee arrived at the farm at approximately 10:30 a.m. It was a rainy, dreary, and cloudy day. Since compartments 8 and 7 were the last compartments filled and the protein was in the auger, the employee unloaded the protein first. Typically, the employee would unload the mineral first and use the protein as a means to clean out the system. The employee had emptied the protein in Bin Number 1 and the mineral in Bin Number 4 at the farm. Once the trailer was emptied, the employee blew down all of the compartments and had about 150 pounds of mineral. The employee had placed bags on the ground in order for the mineral to be caught and allow the farmer to use the product. The employee opened the side door on the vertical auger and let the auger run while the material fell on the floor or ground. The mineral was starting to hit the door latch and spatter onto the ground. The employee went to move the door latch, located approximately 38.5 above the ground, when the auger caught his glove, amputating index and middle fingers of left hand. The employee went to get help from the farmer. There were no witnesses to the accident. The employee was not hospitalized.