Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201162799 - Employee's finger amputated by fan blade

Accident Summary Nr: 201162799 -- Report ID: 0950641 -- Event Date: 11/14/2001
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
126114800	11/19/2001	8221	0	Uc Los Angeles

Abstract: At approximately 8:00 a.m., on November 14, 2001, Employee # 1 responded to a bearing failure on air handling unit located in the fan room. The fan was making a very loud noise, indicating that the bearings needed to be replaced. Employee #1 determined that new parts were necessary and proceeds to obtain them. A coworker was instructed to assist Employee #1 with replacing the bearing on the unit. Employee #1 and the coworker started the repair work after lunch. The employees turned off the disconnect switch and fan start/stop switch. The fan and the motor were completely deenergized prior to beginning the repair work. The employees were equipped with leather gloves that were rubberized on the palm side. The repair work involved removing the belts and replacing the bearing component with a new one. Once the bearing component was replaced, the unit was re-assembled. The unit was energized to test/check the belt alignment and noise level of the fan. Once the test was completed, the unit was deenergized by turning off the disconnect switch. Employee #1 and the coworker exited the fan room and waited outside for the unit to stop before lubricating the new bearings. Employee #1 entered the fan room while the fan was still naturally coasting and stood adjacent to the drive sheave. Employee #1 attempted to slow down/stop the belt by placing his boot over the belts. While Employee #1 was standing hunched forward towards the motor, with his boot on the belt, the coworker, entered the fan room, asked Employee #1 a question, and handed him a cloth to help him stop the belts. As Employee #1 turned toward the coworker, his left hand made contact with the belts. Part of Employee #1 glove on his left hand was caught between the belts and pulley and pulled in towards the motor. Employee #1 attempted to pull his hand out, but was unable to do so, before his left middle fingertip from the first knuckle was amputated. Employee #1 was rushed to the emergency room, where the doctors made the determination that the amputated portion of his fingertip could not be reattached.

Keywords: FAN, REPAIR, FINGER, GLOVE, GUARD, BEARING, NOISE, PULLEY, BLADE, LUBRICATING

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	126114800			Hospitalized injury	Amputation	Occupation not reported

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.