Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 202495032 - Employee's Fingers Are Amputated When Caught by Fan Shaft

Accident Summary Nr: 202495032 -- Report ID: 0950612 -- Event Date: 09/12/2006
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
309897221	09/14/2006	1711	238220	Environmental Systems, Inc

Abstract: On September 12, 2006, Employee #1 was working as a mechanical engineering technician for a plumbing, heating, and air conditioning contractor. He was removing an existing HVAC fan motor and installing a new one in its place. The power to the fan was shut off and locked out, but adjacent fans shared a plenum with the fan being replaced, and the forced draft from the adjacent fans caused the fan and shaft of the motor being replaced to rotate backward. Employee #1 attempted to stop the shaft from rotating by wrapping a 10-foot nylon sling twice around the shaft. As he held the sling and tightened it around the shaft, his hand and glove became caught. He was pulled into the fan blower, and the ring, middle, and small fingers on his left hand were amputated. His coworkers saw this and pulled him out. He was hospitalized.

Keywords: MAINTENANCE, ROTATING PARTS, AMPUTATED, FAN, ROTATING SHAFT, FINGER, GLOVE, CAUGHT BY, NIP POINT

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Commercial building		Maintenance or repair		$500,000 to $1,000,000	3

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	309897221			Hospitalized injury	Amputation	Mechanical engineering technicians	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Installing equipment (HVAC and other) Fatality Cause: Other

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