Paper Company Fined $50,000 for Machine Guarding Violation

A worker for a paper company saw a build-up of glue on the roller assembly of the bag-making machine. The worker, who was wearing cotton gloves, used a metal scraper and a rag to clear the build-up. But while attempting to scrape off the build-up from one of the rollers, his hand got caught and pulled into the in-running nip created by two rotating rollers on the machine. He was able to activate the emergency pull cord and stop the machine. He then pulled his hand free. He fully recovered and suffered no lasting impairment. The MOL determined that the machine wasn’t guarded as required to prevent worker access to the rollers and in-running nip hazards. The paper company pleaded guilty to a guarding violation and was fined $50,000 [Bag to Earth Inc./Sac au Sol Inc., Govt. News Release, March 7, 2016].