L&I Fines Battle Ground, WA, Company After Worker’s Hand Amputated
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has fined a Battle Ground, Wash., plastic bottle manufacturer $86,800 for major safety violations after a worker’s hand was caught in machinery and had to be amputated.
Andersen Plastics of Battle Ground, Wash., has been cited for one willful and six serious violations by the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). The investigation found several problems with the company’s lockout/tagout safety program, a term that refers to the deliberate process of shutting down machinery to prevent accidental startup.
Failure to prevent machinery from accidentally starting puts workers at risk of serious injuries, such as the amputation that occurred in April when a worker was performing a routine task.
