WHITES TIMBER PRODUCTS INC

FOREARM AMPUTATED BY REVOLVING HORIZONTAL DRIVE SHAFT

EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WORKING ON THE DISCHARGE END OF THE CONVEYOR SYSTEM OF A PORTABL E SAWMILL. HE WAS REMOVING SLABWOOD AND STACKING IT FOR SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL AND S ALE AS FIREWOOD. THE WORK AREA WAS APPROXIMATELY SIXTEEN FEET FROM THE SAWYERS C AB. THE DRIVE SHAFT IS DRIVEN BY A CUMMINGS DIESEL 250 ENGINE, OFFSET SYSTEM, WI TH THE DRIVE HORIZONTAL TO THE CAB AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE CONVEYOR SYSTEM UPON WHICH THE EMPLOYEE WAS WORKING. FOR UNKNOWN REASONS, THE EMPLOYEE WALKED FROM H IS WORK AREA TOWARD THE CAB AND INTO THE 600 RPM DRIVE SHAFT. THE EMPLOYEE WAS C AUGHT AT THE AREA NEAR A SPROCKET ON THE REVOLVING SHAFT (THE SPROCKET WAS NOT I N USE AS A DRIVE SYSTEM). THE SHAFT WAS THIRTY SIX INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND. THE SHAFT TO CAB DIMENSIONS WERE NINETEEN AND ONE HALF INCHES. THERE WERE FIFTEEN AN D ONE HALF INCHES FROM THE OUTSIDE TEETH AREA TO THE CAB. IT IS UNKNOWN IF THE A MPUTATION OF EMPLOYEE #1'S ARM WAS THE RESULT OF A UNGUARDED V-BELT AND PULLEY ( SHAFT MOUNTED), LOCATED SEVENTEEN INCHES FROM THE SPROCKET, OR OF THE IMPACT OF HIS BODY AGAINST THE CAB AS IT WAS BEING DRAGGED AROUND BY THE REVOLVING SHAFT.