Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201156718 - Employee's finger amputated after being caught in fan

Accident Summary Nr: 201156718 -- Report ID: 0950633 -- Event Date: 01/15/2003
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
300861085	02/07/2003	1711	238220	Yardley Zaretsky Co.

Abstract: At approximately 4:35 p.m. on January 15, 2003, Employee #1, an apprentice test and balance technician, was working for Yardley-Zaretsky Arizona Inc in Phoenix, Arizona on site of the Riverside County Jail in Indio, California. Employee #1 was working on an air conditioning system (McQuay model LYF1170H) in the mechanical air handling equipment room on the roof of the jail. The main supply air fan was on and he was placing a reflective tape sticker on the pulley of a return air fan unit while it was rotating. Air movement in the return air chamber of the HVAC system was sufficient to windmill/rotate the fan blades in the return air fan unit. The employee used his left hand to stop the pulley and fan drive belt, to keep it from rotating. And he inadvertently dropped the tape. While reaching down to retrieve it, the fan blade started to windmill, moving the belt and pulley drive. The employee's left hand was drawn into the nip point and the tip of his left-hand middle finger was amputated. The foreman took Employee #1 to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, California for emergency medical care. Employee #1 sustained an amputation with bone loss and was treated and released.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FAN BLADE, AIR CONDITIONER, FINGER, NIP POINT

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Other building		Other		Under $50,000	2

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	300861085			Non Hospitalized injury	Amputation	Not specified mechanics and repairers

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