Hexcel Corporation: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Feb 15, 2000: Employee's fingers injured between forklift chain and pulley

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on February 15, 2000, Employee #1, a forklift operat or for Hexcel Corporation, was preparing to unload a 55 gallon drum using a boom secured to the front of his lift truck. He was sitting in the operator's positi on with the power off and with a portion of the 19 ft 9 in. long boom pendant ca ble hanging between the front overhead guard posts. He reached forward to move t he cable and grabbed the left lift cylinder chain with his right hand, lurching forward. Employee #1's right hip bumped the lift control forward, causing the ca rriage to immediately drop down, catching his index and middle fingers between t he chain and pulley. A coworker heard Employee #1's cry for help and raised the carriage, freeing his fingers. He was taken to Pioneer Valley Hospital for treat ment of a crushed index finger and a fractured middle finger, both at the middle phalanges between the interphangeal joints. Two of Employee #1's other right fi ngers were also pinched.

Incident on Aug 11, 1998: Employee's fingers amputated in carbon-fiber works

At approximately 5:50 a.m. on July 16, 1998, Employee #1, a Hexcel Line 4 FTR8 c arbon-fiber machine operator, was tying sixteen carbon-fiber tows onto the runni ng carbon-fiber bundles. The middle and index fingers of his left hand got caugh t in a carbon-fiber knot and were pulled between a metal roller and the carbon-f iber bundles (bundles under high tension). Employee's #1 the middle and index fi ngers of his left hand were amputated. He was hospitalized.