CHEHALIS, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — Washington State workplace-safety regulators have issued ambulance manufacturer J R Braun Northwest Inc. a $12,842 repeat-serious citation over guarding at a heavy-duty metal shear in Chehalis.
The citation was issued on 19 October 2026. Its details were first reported late on 21 October UTC, which fell on 22 October in Asia/Karachi. It followed a Department of Labor & Industries inspection opened on 23 July after a worker suffered a fingertip injury while using the equipment in June.
What the citation alleges
The state citation says employees were not protected from contact with the shear point on an Accurshear machine, contrary to Washington Administrative Code 296-806-20030. Regulators classified the item as repeat serious and set a proposed penalty of $12,842.
The document is a regulator citation, not a final court finding. Washington’s citation process provides a review period. Reporting by The Washington Post says the company disputes the regulator’s conclusions.
Machine-guarding significance
Shear points can expose hands to cutting and crushing forces during production, feeding, adjustment and clearing tasks. Effective safeguarding should prevent access to the danger zone while allowing the machine to operate as intended. HSE Blog’s guides explain the importance of fixed and interlocked machine guards and provide a practical machine-guarding toolbox talk for worker instruction.
HSE Blog analysis
The citation’s repeat classification makes this an enforcement development rather than a political story. The central HSE issue is whether the physical guard reliably prevented access to the shear point. Employers should verify guarding through documented inspection and task observation, especially after equipment modifications or a serious injury.
Source check: HSE Blog reviewed the Washington Department of Labor & Industries citation and independent reporting by The Washington Post. Five independent reports were not available. No incident photo was reused because no explicit permission suitable for HSE Blog was identified; the featured image is a clearly illustrative scene.
Source
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries; The Washington Postsecure.lni.wa.gov
