Finger Amputation Leads to $51,000 Fine for Manufacturer

A Wisconsin manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment is facing federal fines of $51,000 after a worker’s hand was crushed in a folding machine, resulting in amputation of a finger. Alliance Laundry Systems LLC of Ripon has been cited for one serious, one repeated and one other-than-serious safety violation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA inspected the facility after learning that a 50-year-old worker’s right hand was crushed by operating parts of a folding machine. The injury resulted in the amputation of the worker's right middle finger, t...