Simwon America Corp.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Aug 20, 2020: Employee's thumb is crushed by machine die

At 12:30 p.m. on August 20, 2020, two maintenance employees, Employee #1 and a coworker, were attempting to service a die on a machine, called a Projection Welding Machine, which welds nuts to a car frame component. The equipment involved in the accident included the Projection Welding Machine, a hand file, and an airline and supply air tank. Over time, the die on the machine becomes out of spec and has to be filed down. This task required two people to perform the task, one to file the die and one to control the air pressure, which was necessary as the die cannot be filed unless there is air pressure to put it into position. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was attempting to file the die, and the coworker was managing the air pressure. The employee was unable to file the die, as the air pressure was incorrect. The coworker was pressing the solenoid to adjust the pressure. Over time, the coworker drained all of the residual air in the supply tank and the airline. In order to continue the service, the two employees decided to charge the line and tank with air again. The coworker then went to the main air valve on the airline behind the machine and turned it on. As he did this, the die came down into position, and caught the tip of the employee's right thumb. The employee sustained a distal amputation, avulsion, and fracture to his right thumb. He was treated at Doctors Medical Center, in Manteca but was not hospitalized. The object that directly harmed the employee was the machine die catching the employee's right thumb.