Appalachian Wood Floors Inc. (operating as Graf Custom Hardwood)
Outcome
Appalachian Wood Floors Inc. was cited for 8 repeat and 2 serious OSHA violations and fined $255,528 — and placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program — after a 23-year-old worker suffered a partial arm amputation when he became entangled in a rip saw's rotating blades at the Portsmouth, Ohio facility in May 2024 after the saw's safety device was bypassed.
Details
Appalachian Wood Floors Inc. — 23-Year-Old's Arm Partially Amputated in Bypassed Rip Saw, SVEP Placement (2024)
Outcome: A 23-year-old worker at Appalachian Wood Floors Inc.'s Portsmouth, Ohio facility suffered a partial arm amputation in May 2024 when he became entangled in a rip saw's rotating blades while troubleshooting with the safety device bypassed; OSHA cited 8 repeat and 2 serious violations, proposed $255,528, and enrolled the company in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
In May 2024, a 23-year-old worker at Appalachian Wood Floors Inc.'s Portsmouth, Ohio hardwood flooring mill (operating as Graf Custom Hardwood) was troubleshooting a rip saw machine when he became entangled in the rotating saw blades. The machine's safety device had been bypassed. The worker suffered a partial arm amputation.
OSHA's investigation of both the Charles Street and Campbell Avenue facilities found the company "failed to adequately train employees at both locations in lockout/tagout procedures and did not mandate the use of lockout/tagout when troubleshooting machines, changing blades, cleaning rollers and changing colors." Eight repeat violations were cited — the same lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and electrical safety deficiencies had been cited in prior inspections since 2022. Two serious violations were also issued. OSHA proposed $255,528 in penalties and enrolled the company in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
Primary Source: Ohio hardwood flooring manufacturer faces $255K in fines after worker suffers partial arm amputation at Portsmouth mill
How Crucible Prevents This
A bypassed safety device combined with the absence of any lockout/tagout mandate for troubleshooting, blade changes, and cleaning operations creates the exact caught-in scenario OSHA's LOTO standard was written to prevent. SVEP placement signals that OSHA's standard enforcement tools have been exhausted. Crucible's compliance escalation model — requiring physical machine safety device verification and documented lockout completion for each maintenance task type — would flag a bypassed device as an immediate work-stop condition before any technician engages the machine.
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