Plastics Technology Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Aug 4, 2019: Employee amputates two fingers when machine is not locked/ta

At 1:00 p.m. on August 4, 2019, Employee #1 was operating line #13, a blow molded injection machine. Employee #1 was directly involved in the operations when the accident took place. Employee #1 was operating line #13, when a piece of plastic mold became lodged in the machine die while running. Employee #1 did not turn the power off to open the swing guard, and attempted to remove the stuck piece in the die mold when the swing gate fell over, resulting in the machine continuing to run. Employee #1's right hand was seriously injured when the die closed on his hand. Employee #1 suffered right hand amputations to his index and middle fingers. He was treated and hospitalized. The employer failed to ensure that Blow Mold Machine, line #13 (ROCHELEAU, Model SPB 2-2, SERIAL no. SPB 75-78) was stopped and the power source deenergized or disengaged, and, if necessary, the moveable parts were mechanically blocked or locked out to prevent inadvertent movement, or release of stored energy. In addition, the employer failed to place accident prevention signs, tags, or both on the controls of the power source of the machine (Blow Mold Machine (ROCHELEAU, Model SPB 2-2, SERIAL no. SPB 75-78).