Progreso Co-OP Gin, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on May 18, 2020: Employee loses control of knife, cuts tendon in hand

At 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 18, 2020, an employee was working at a cotton gin. There's a gin roller at the cotton gin, and every year, the flashing on the gin roller is replace. The flashing is made of thick rubber, about 2 in. (50 mm) wide and 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. It went around a roller on the gin. The employee was cutting the flashing with his pocketknife. He stabbed his left hand between the index finger and the thumb, cutting his tendon. He went to a local hospital and from there was taken by ambulance to a larger regional hospital, all on the same day as the injury, where he was admitted for surgery scheduled for the following day. He was hospitalized. The gin's manager called the employee on the afternoon of the 18th of May and learned of the employee's hospitalization from the employee after the employee had been admitted at the regional hospital. The employee underwent surgery on Tuesday May 19, 2020, and was released on Wednesday May 20, 2020. The cotton gin's secretary reported the hospitalization to OSHA on May 21, 2020, after the provider of their workers compensation insurance advised them to make the report to OSHA. The report was not done on a timely basis. The cotton gin's manager stated they watch safety videos provided by workers compensation insurance annually. He was aware that report needed to be made, but he thought that workers compensation would do it.