Kraco Enterprises, LLC: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Sep 25, 2003: Employee injures fingers while repairing press

At approximately 9:00 a.m. on September 25, 2003, Employee #1, an apprentice mai ntenance mechanic, was working for a manufacturer of rubber and carpet floor mat s for the automobile industry. Employee #1 and a coworker were replacing two bro ken bolts out of a total of four bolts on a rubber press. They blocked the press with two jacks to prevent the bolster from falling. They removed the broken bol ts and were in the process of replacing all four bolts. To align the four ram ea rs with the four threaded holes on the bottom of the bolster, the ram needed to be rotated. Due to the tight fitting gaskets in the ram, it was impossible to ro tate it while the ram was static. For this reason, the ram had to be rotated whi le in motion (up or down). A third employee was required to activate the control s on the press to move the ram. The coworker raised the ram to what he thought w as the highest position and, when he thought that Employee #1 was ready, he told the third employee to activate the controls. When activated, the ram went up in stead of down. Employee #1 was holding the ram by the ears and his right hand mi ddle and ring fingers were caught between the ram and the bolster, crushing them . He was transported to Saint Francis Medical Center where he was treated for hi s injuries. The investigation revealed that the ram was not blocked during the r epair process and extension tools were not made available.

Incident on Dec 4, 2001: Employee's finger crushed by press

At approximately 10:40 a.m. on December 4, 2001, Employee #1 was operating a pre ss manufacturing rubber and carpet floor mats for automobiles. Employee #1 was t rained in press operation and was operating the WCRM (West Coast Rubber Machine) Number 52. Employee #1 stepped on a metal work platform 12 in. high with rubber padding on top to remove a finished rubber floor mat from the molds. When Emplo yee #1 was stepping on the platform, the platform sank because the feet of the p latform were uneven and he lost balance. As Employee #1 grabbed the side of the mold machine to regain his balance, the horizontal rectangular bar of the mold p late came down and caught his right index finger tip with a shear motion. Employ ee #1 sustained muscle and skin loss of the right tip index finger and eventuall y amputation of the digit. Employee #1 was hospitalized.

Incident on Aug 3, 2000: Two employees injured when hydraulic press malfunctions

At approximately 4:50 p.m. on August 3, 2000, Employee #1, a hydraulic press ope rator for a manufacturer of rubber car mats, was using French Oil Mill Machinery press #36. The press had six platens that worked from the bottom up. Preformed rubber mats were fed manually into the mold area, where they were formed under 2 ,500 psi of pressure and at a temperature of 340 degrees F. Once the mats were f ormed, the hydraulic cylinder (ram) of the press retracted to its start position and the platens opened from the top down, by gravity. The press took 8 seconds to close and 28 seconds to open. Employee #1 was taking out a rubber mat when on e of the platens suddenly moved and his right hand was crushed between the two p latens. He sustained multiple fractures and was transported to Los Angeles Count y/USC Hospital, where he was admitted for five days. It was not determined if th e top platen fell or the bottom platen moved up. A similar accident was reported to have occurred at approximately 4:00 p.m. on March 1, 2000, when Employee #2 was operating the same press. He had one or more fingers amputated after his han d became caught between the platens.