Priority Business Services Inc: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jul 18, 2013: Employee lacerates arm and torso in duct cutting machine

On July 18, 2013, Employee #1, a Machine Operator, was assigned to snip the edge s of the finished ducts at the end of a receiving ramp. The machine was operatin g in auto-mode and was producing spiral ducts, which were fed onto the run-off t able and then gravity fed to the end of the receiving ramp where the employee wa s assigned to work. The coworker, machine operator, had stepped away from the co ntrols and did not witness Employee #1 reacting to a piece of duct that had fall en from the run-off table. The employee left his post and stepped up to the run- off table and reached into the space between the forming head and the run-off ta ble to retrieve the fallen duct while the machine was forming another duct. Empl oyee #1's right arm and upper torso came in contact with the sharp rotating end of the duct that was being formed. Employee #1 was transported to an area hospit al, where he was treated for traumatic laceration to the upper right arm and che st area. The employee was hospitalized for four days and received surgery.

Incident on Dec 5, 2012: Employee gets finger fracture and avulsion

On December 5, 2012, Employee #1, a machine operator with Priority Business Serv ices, sustained a crush fracture and avulsion of his right pinky finger from con tact with a hazardous pinch point of revolving rolls of the Lockformer rolling m achine. The next day, Employee #1 received outpatient surgical amputation to rep air the injured finger. When the accident occurred, Employee #1 was pulling a se ven foot long by forty-eight inch wide piece of sheet metal through the forming stations of a Lockformer rolling machine, Serial #SC-99, to create an s-seam. A co-worker was managing the remaining end of the sheet to ensure that it remained aligned with the guides as it continued to be fed through the rollers. There ar e nine rolls on each side of the Lockformer rolling machine that are comprised o f an upper and lower roll. These rolls revolve clockwise and feed the material t hrough the machine while an s-seam is created at the edge of the sheet metal at the point of operation located inside the machine. The rolls were not guarded by the frame of the machine and their revolving motion creates a hazardous pinch p oint. Employee #1 was wearing gloves to protect against cuts by the sharp edges of the sheet metal and consequently, his glove got pulled between one of the rol ls resulting in a crush fracture and avulsion of the tip of his right pinky fing er.

Incident on Oct 4, 2011: Employee amputates fingertip cleaning garnett machine

At approximately 12:30 p.m. on October 4, 2011, Employee #1, a temporary employe e with Priority Business Services Inc., was manually turning a belt of a large p ulley while three other workers cleaned the turning rolls of a Garnett machine, Model Number SRF5360-4985-8-1-5-82BCUU, Serial Number 973633425. The machine was not deenergized or locked out. Employee #1's right hand made contact with a nip point on a smaller pulley resulting in a fracture of the distal phalanx of the ring finger. Employee #1 was transported to Western Hand Center in Downey, where doctors completed a distal amputation of the right ring finger. Employee #1 was not hospitalized. Upon further investigation, it was determined the host employ er, Zephyr Industries Inc. d/b/a Murtex Fiber Systems, had not established, impl emented, and maintained an effective written Injury and Illness Prevention progr am; did not have written hazardous energy control procedures for employees engag ed in the cleaning, servicing, setting-up or adjusting of prime movers, machiner y and equipment in the garnetted pillow area; and Employee #1 was not trained on hazardous energy control procedures and on the hazards related to performing ac tivities required for cleaning, repairing, servicing, setting-up and adjusting p rime movers, machinery and equipment.

Incident on Nov 18, 2011: Employee is severely burned with hot glue

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on November 17, 2011, Employee #1 of Priority Busines s Services was burned. At the time of the accident, the hot melt nozzle of the l iner machine was clogging up so the line was turned off. Employee #2, the superv isor, had flipped the hot glue nozzle in the horizontal position so that he coul d clean the orifice. As this was completed, Employee #2 turned the Robatech Hot melt back into service. Employee # 2 did not flip the hot melt nozzle back into the vertical position (the dispensing position). And as the unit reached the pro grammed temperature, it began dispensing. However, since the nozzle was in the h orizontal position, the product squirted out horizontally, hitting Employee #1 o n his neck. Employee #1, at this time, was on the other side of the machine and was cleaning the area where the nozzle was located. Sensing the burns, Employee #1 brought up his hands to shield his face and caused the hands to be burned as well.

Incident on May 2, 2011: Employee's foot is burned and fractured by falling hot part

At Approximately 2:00 p.m. on May 2, 2011, Employee #1, who was employed by Prio rity Business Services, was working as a stamper at Schultz Steel Company in Sou th Gate, CA. Employee #1 had been working at Shultz Steel Company for approximat ely three months. Shultz Steel was a private, incorporated company that fabricat ed steel and other alloy components for the aerospace industry. Onsite operation s included the use of 20,000-ton to 40,000-ton forging presses, seamless ring ro lling machinery, forging manipulators, and milling machinery. Employee #1 was on the west side of the facility, near a 40,000-ton press that stamped identificat ion numbers onto a hot, "15-5" stainless steel aeronautic component. The part me asured approximately 13.5 feet in length, weighed approximately 800 pounds, and was at a temperature of approximately 1,700 degrees F to 1,900 degrees F. After the part had been forged in the 40,000-ton press, it was removed using a GLAMA i ndustrial truck that was known as a manipulator and was operated by an employee of Shultz Steel Company. The manipulator was equipped with hydraulic clamping ja ws that were used to remove and hold the work piece at one end. After he removed the piece from the forging press, the manipulator operator moved it over to a c oworker and Employee #1, who were standing in close proximity to the forging pre ss and were waiting to inspect and stamp the part with a part number. After the part was inspected by the coworker, the manipulator operator began to rotate the part to the side, where it was to be stamped with the part number. As the part rotated, it fell from the jaws of the manipulator and onto Employee #1's right f oot. The part was not held or supported by any means other than the manipulator jaws, which clamped it at one end. Employee #1's foot was apparently burned and fractured, and he was hospitalized. The second shift plant superintendent was Em ployee #1's direct supervisor and was in his office at the facility, when the in cident occurred. The safety director at Priority Business Services reported the industrial incident and serious injury to Cal/OSHA on May 2, 2011. Cal/OSHA dete rmined that the incident was caused by the 13.5-foot hot metal part not being ba lanced, braced, or secured to prevent it from falling. They issued an accident-r elated citation to Shultz Steel Company.

Incident on Sep 30, 2006: Employee's fingers are amputated in drill press

On September 30, 2006, Employee #1 was drilling a hole in a piece of copper, usi ng a Wilton VSG Model 2025 drill press. He was injured when his glove became ent angled in the drill and his fingers were amputated. He was hospitalized.