Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. OSHA citation items will be posted 30 (thirty) days after the employer receives the citation(s), except in cases of significant public interest. Posted citation items reflect any amendments to citations that are the result of a prompt settlement, which OSHA encourages. Employers and employee representatives will continue to receive copies of the citation(s) upon issuance.

Inspection: 1568349.015 - Magnolia Foods

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At 10:20 p.m. on December 9, 2021, an employee was working on a Lawrence Equipment Model 0CC5427-45 Cooling Conveyor equipped with a Model 0TC5409-03 Infeed Boom and Model 0CD5405-01 Discharge. The employee was filling in for an operator who had called off for that shift. The cooling conveyor had been jamming with product and the employee was attempting to unjam it. A coworker (production manager) had checked the cooling room to help identify the source of the problem and determined it was likely caused by issues with the ingredient mixing. The guards on the infeed side of the conveyor had been removed and left off. The employee was left unsupervised to monitor the conveyor. The employee noticed that tortillas were again jamming up the conveyors and attempted to slide one of the tortillas over. As the employee reached into the line, his finger was dragged into the conveyor, and he was unable to stop the equipment. The employee's right arm was pulled into the conveyor as a result. The employee's right shoulder and arm were crushed and he incurred an open right scapular fracture and an injury to his right brachial plexus, requiring hospitalization.

Keywords: Arm, Bypass, Bypass Guard, Conveyor, Crushed, Energized, Food processing, Fracture, Guard, Insufficient Supervision, Jammed, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Machine Guarding, Maintenance, Material Handling, Open Fracture, Pulled In, Safety Device, Shoulder, Supervision, Unguarded