Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 202453130 - Employee's Ear Is Amputated by Machine

Accident Summary Nr: 202453130 -- Report ID: 0950642 -- Event Date: 11/08/2006
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
307170274	11/17/2006	2339	315239	American Apparel

Abstract: On November 8, 2006, Employee #1, a textile machine operator, was assisting a coworker to free jammed fabric from a circular weaving machine (Ssangyong Company Model Number SS2J/CSM). The coworker started the machine without realizing that Employee #1 was still inside it, manually removing the jammed fabric. The rotating drum under the machine struck the side of Employee #1's head. He was hospitalized for an amputated right ear. The drum was normally protected by a gate equipped with interlocked safety switches. According to witness statements, this machine's interlock switches were inoperable at the time of the accident, they were commonly disabled by employees to facilitate work, and this condition was known by supervisors in the working area.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, INADEQUATE MAINT, DRUM, CAUGHT BY, EAR, INTERLOCK, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, LOCKOUT, COMMUNICATION, INATTENTION

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	307170274			Hospitalized injury	Amputation	Miscellaneous textile machine operators

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