Worker's Double Amputation in Baling Machine Carries $73,500 Penalty
OSHA opened an inspection in February after an incident in which a worker had both legs amputated when his foot got caught in a baling machine as he attempted to clear cardboard that had jammed in the machine at MTD Products in Verona, Miss.
OSHA has cited Triple P Farms Inc., which recycles corrugated cardboard, plastics, and wooden pallets, for four safety violations. OSHA opened an inspection in February after an incident in which a worker had both legs amputated when his foot got caught in a baling machine as he attempted to clear cardboard that had jammed in the machine at MTD Products in Verona, Miss. Proposed penalties total $73,500.
"These amputations could have been prevented if the company had been following proper safety procedures," said Clyde Payne, OSHA's area director in Jackson. "A lockout/tagout program should have been in place for equipment like the baling machine, in order to protect workers from serious injury or death."
One willful violation was cited for failing to develop an energy control program for employees performing servicing and maintenance on equipment.
Three serious violations include failing to provide energy control training, failing to certify that each forklift operator had been trained and evaluated, and allowing the fixed stairs' height and width to be uneven.
The worker was employed by Triple P Farms to perform waste disposal and recycling. Glen, Miss.-based Triple P Farms was assigned as a contractor to MTD Manufacturing, which was not cited for any OSHA violations.