Searing Industries: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jan 21, 2017: Employee is operating die cutting press and amputates finger

At 4:30 p.m. on January 21, 2017, an employee was cutting 4-inch pieces of steel to fill an order for 40,000 pieces at Haven #5 Tube Cut machine. During the process, pieces would get stuck in the die because of a burr and the employee would have to stop and hit the piece to free it from the die. The employee would occasionally have to reach into the cutting die area with their fingers to aid in removing the piece from the die. While doing so, the employee caught their right index fingertip by the blade and amputated it. The employee was hospitalized.

Incident on Mar 19, 2010: Employee amputates fingers in metal fabricating machine

At approximately 1:15 p.m. on March 19, 2010, Employee #1 fabricating metal tubi ng from sheet metal on the Tube Mill #4 in Department 501. On Tube Mill #4, an e stimated eight-inch open area existed between the run-out table and the end of t he metal frame of the cut-off system. A metal, hydraulic cylinder (reciprocating , horizontal, estimated three-inches diameter) moved in and out of this open are a. This cylinder was part of the cut-off system. Employee #1, working on the run -out table, placed his left hand in a section of this open area. The cylinder mo ved outward toward the run-out table and pinned Employee #1's ring and middle fi ngers on his left hand against the table, amputating them. Employee #1 was emplo yed by Searing Industries who fabricated sheet metal into tubing of varying leng ths and sizes. The cause of this accident was failure for the parts of this mill (exposed hydraulic cylinder and run-off table), which created a hazardous pinch point, to be guarded.

Incident on Nov 15, 2001: Employee amputates finger with radial saw

At approximately 12:50 p.m. on November 15, 2001, Employee #1 was using a radial saw (Walker Turner, Serial Number 37141 H 0021675, GB-20) to cut a stack of two pieces of wood (2 in. by 4 in. by 36 in.). As he was holding the wood pieces wi th his left hand, he started cutting the wood with his right hand. However, the blade got jammed; he then tried to pull the stack towards the blade, but lost co ntrol of the stack. The blade struck his left hand, amputating his little finger and lacerating his ring finger. He was transported to a medical center and hosp italized for 10 hours.