Window Manufacturer Fined $50,000 for Amputation of Part of Worker’s Finger

A worker was using a punch press at a window manufacturer’s facility. As he was feeding stock material into the machine via an opening, it began to cycle while one of his fingers was inside the opening. When the cycle was done, a shear amputated part of his finger. The MOL determined that two weeks before the incident, there had been a complaint to the manufacturer and a supervisor about the hazards posed by this opening. The manufacturer pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the punch press was guarded. The court fined it $50,000 [Aluminart Products Ltd., Govt. News Release, Oct. 14, 2014].