Appalachian Wood Floors Inc., operating as Graf Custom Hardwood, (Portsmouth, Ohio) is facing $255,528 in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a 23-year-old worker suffered a partial arm amputation while troubleshooting a rip saw.
The amputation led to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation and $255,528 in fines.
OSHA determined the saw’s safety device was bypassed, which allowed the worker to become entangled in the machine’s blades.
“A preventable tragedy has left a young man with a permanent, life-altering injury,” OSHA Director Ken Montogomery said in a statement. “Bypassing machine safety procedures puts workers at extreme risk.”
After the incident, OSHA investigated two of the manufacturer’s Charles Street and Campbell Avenue facilities, where inspectors found several safety violations.
OSHA found the company failed to train employees adequately in lockout/tagout procedures and did not mandate the use of lockout/tagout when troubleshooting machines and changing blades.
Inspectors also found unguarded in-going nip points of chains and sprockets, multiple electrical safety violations and a lack of forklift training.
The investigation resulted in eight repeat, two serious and four other-than-serious violations.
Since 2022, OSHA has identified recurring safety violations, putting Appalachian Wood Floors’ on OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
Read the full OSHA report here.
