Incident date: 2016-05-04
NAICS industry code: 325991

On May 4, 2016, at approximately 2:30 pm, an employee noticed that the (powders) raw materials were not going down easily through the mixing chamber (approximately 165 cubic inches) of an extrusion machine fitted with a rotating shaft "rotor" with a maximum speed of 100/500 rpm's. He attempted to clear out the material from the mixing chamber with a putty knife at different speeds (controlled/adjusted by the employee himself) beginning at 460 rpm, then down to 120 rpm, and then up to 130 rpm when his gloved hand (cloth) holding the putty knife was pulled in the mixing chamber. The knife was thrown out and when he pulled his hand out his right thumb and three other fingers on his right hand were amputated.

Hazard classification:
code_event: title: Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
code_source: title: Extruding machinery
code_nature: title: Amputations
code_body: title: Finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.
severity: high