Andre Taylor, vocational student, was seriously injured while operating a paper cutter in the San Quentin Printshop. Taylor’s hand was caught in the clamp which holds the paper for cutting, as a result, three of the fingers on his right hand were crushed and partially severed.
The seriousness of the injuries warranted emergency response by the San Quentin Fire Department which arrived on the scene within minutes of the accident. Taylor was stabilized and transported to an outside hospital for emergency surgery. Taylor was returned to the prison infirmary after surgery where he is recovering.
According to the infirmary staff, Taylor’s fingers were reattached and he is expected to make a full recovery and is expected to retain the use of his hand.
Printshop Instructor, John Wilkerson say’s that, “all students are trained to safely operate the equipment in the Printshop and are constantly reminded of safe operating procedures throughout their vocational training.”
The paper cutter involved in the accident has been taken off-line until completion of the investigation by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The accident remains under investigation.