At 11:00 a.m. on June 7, 2024, an employee, 50, working as a machinery maintenance technician for a frozen food manufacturer, was troubleshooting a ring remover since food trays were getting stuck. The employee bypassed the magnetic safety interlock gates and crawled underneath the conveyor.
A coworker, the machine operator, was not aware that the employee was underneath the machine when he turned the machine from manual to auto and reactivated the machine to get it unjammed.
The employee was struck by the carriage of the ring remover as a result.
According to the police report, the employee had apparent trauma to his head and a deep laceration on his left cheek from his ear to his chin.
The employee died as a result of his injuries.
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 9 | 9 | ||||
| Current Violations | 6 | 6 | ||||
| Initial Penalty | $145,179 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $145,179 |
| Current Penalty | $67,750 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $67,750 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | Latest Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001A | Serious | 19100147 C04 II B Specific procedural steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing machines or equipment to control hazardous energy; | 12/04/2024 | 01/31/2025 | $11,292 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 2. | 01001B | Serious | 19100147 C04 II C Specific procedural steps for the placement, removal and transfer of lockout devices or tagout devices and the responsibility for them | 12/04/2024 | 01/31/2025 | $0 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 3. | 01001C | Serious | 19100147 C04 II D Specific requirements for testing a machine or equipment to determine and verify the effectiveness of lockout devices, tagout devices, and other energy control measures. | 12/04/2024 | 01/31/2025 | $0 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 4. | 01002 | Serious | 19100147 C05 I Locks, tags, chains, wedges, key blocks, adapter pins, self-locking fasteners, or other hardware shall be provided by the employer for isolating, securing or blocking of machines or equipment from energy sources. | 12/04/2024 | 12/24/2024 | $11,292 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 5. | 01003A | Serious | 19100147 C07 I A Each authorized employee shall receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control. | 12/04/2024 | 12/24/2024 | $11,292 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 6. | 01003B | Serious | 19100147 C07 I B Each affected employee shall be instructed in the purpose and use of the energy control procedure. | 12/04/2024 | 12/24/2024 | $0 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 7. | 01004 | Serious | 19100147 D04 I Lockout or tagout devices shall be affixed to each energy isolating device by authorized employees. | 12/04/2024 | 12/24/2024 | $11,292 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 8. | 01005 | Serious | 19100147 F03 I When servicing and/or maintenance is performed by a crew, craft, department or other group, they shall utilize a procedure which affords the employees a level of protection equivalent to that provided by the implementation of a personal lockout or tagout device. | 12/04/2024 | 01/31/2025 | $11,292 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
| 9. | 01006 | Serious | 19100212 A01 One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are – barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc. | 12/04/2024 | 01/31/2025 | $11,292 | $16,131 | I – Informal Settlement |
Source: https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1753707.015
Presumably there was enough uncertainty on both sides over whether this was unanticipated employee misconduct to split the baby