Drive On Lift Tables

At 11:30 p.m. on September 3, 2007, Employee #1, a machine operator who had worked there for four months, was operating a seaming line. The facility involved is a medium sized glass pane manufacturer. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was performing a regularly assigned task of realigning misaligned glass to straighten the panes before they reached the seamer. Employee #1 was working inside the fenced area where the tilt table was located. According to Employee #1, this was the normal location where he would work to straighten glass panes on the conveyor prior to the glass entering the seamer. The conveyor system transferring the glass had not been operating properly over the last few months, and the panes would routinely need to be straightened on the conveyor. Interviews were conducted of the injured employee and the glass manufacturing manager. The investigation concluded that the tilt table was not properly guarded and the tilt table was activated without ensuring that all employees were clear. Employee #1 was hospitalized for eleven days, where he was treated for a fractured leg.