Company Fined $70,000 for Temporary Worker’s Amputated Foot

Two workers, one from a temp agency, and a supervisor for a company that makes rubber playground tiles were cleaning the lids on a large carousel. When cleaning was done, the carousel would rotate so another cell was in place for cleaning. Before rotating the carousel, the supervisor would yell ‘Clear’ and the two workers would back up and respond ‘Clear.’ The supervisor would then rotate the carousel. But the equipment and presses wasn’t blocked, de-energized or locked out during the cleaning process. And interlock switches on the gates and light curtains were bypassed to let the carousel move while workers were inside the fenced area. After the supervisor set the carousel in motion, a plate came down on the temp worker’s foot, causing a crushing injury that resulted in surgical amputation of the foot. The company pleaded guilty to a safety violation and was fined $70,000 [Sof Surfaces Inc., Govt. News Release, July 20, 2015].