Western Filter: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jun 2, 2003: Employee sustaines ventral hernia when lifted paper roll

At 10:45 a.m. on June 2, 2003, Employee #1 was setting up and operating pleat ma chines. The raw material fed to Chandler machine, Serial Number 220, Model 201-2 0, was a horizontal roll of paper weighing 109 lb, 48 in. long, and 18 in. above the floor. The roll was positioned on the rack and centered by tapered plugs. P rior to the accident, one of the tapered plugs slid out of the roll, causing the roll to be crooked. Employee #1 crouched down and lifted one end of the roll, t rying to slide the tapered plug back into the roll. Employee #1 sustained a vent ral hernia and was taken to First Care Clinic. Then, he was transferred to Holy Cross Hospital and hospitalized for 2 days.

Incident on Mar 22, 1993: Employee's finger crushed in punch press

At about 8:00 a.m. on March 3, 1993, Employee #1, a machine operator at a manufa cturing company, was processing industrial filter components on a power-operated punch press. When he routinely reached into the open die area to remove a steel rod, which is used within the die during this process, the press cycled unexpec tedly, pinching and crushing his thumb and first finger between the upper die an d the top of the steel rod.