Abstract: At approximately 12:10 p.m. on January 5, 1989, Employee #1, a tire mechanic, was in the service area of a shop using a Coats 40-40 SA tire changer to mount a new Dunlap radial all- purpose tire and single piece rim wheel. The tire, size 232/85R16 (16 in. bead diameter with a 16 1/2 in. head diameter), did not look right to the employee while he was inflating it, so he leaned over it to check the bead. As he did, the tire exploded. The tire and rim struck him in the face and he was hospitalized for treatment of facial fractures. Employee #1 had not checked the sizes of the tire and the rim before mounting the tire. To set the bead, he used an air hose with 115 psi without a clip-on chuck. The hose was not approved for use with the tire changer. Employee #1 also did not check the air pressure with a gauge. To complete the inflating process, he attached the air hose, which was part of the tire changer and had a clip on the chuck. Employee #1 had removed the hold-down cone (restraining device) before the tire was firm. Charts and the manufacturer's critical safety warning and operation instructions for the tire changer were not available. The employer did not have a safety program to instruct employees on how to service single piece rim wheels.