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Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 97362.015 - Employee's finger is fractured when caught in pulley and bel

Accident Summary Nr: 97362.015 -- Report ID: 0152300 -- Event Date: 04/08/2017
Inspection NrDate OpenedSICNAICSEstablishment Name
1225086.01504/19/2017221320Town Of Bethel

Abstract: At 8:00 a.m. on April 8, 2017, Employee #1, a treatment plant operator, arrived for weekend duty to find that the chlorine contact chamber was getting "clouded with sludge". The employee checked the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to find that the RS-1 pump was not operating. The employee began troubleshooting the pump issue by placing the pump in manual at the Allen Bradley 1336 Plus Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Control, located in the RAS Building and shutting it down. The employee went to the pump to investigate. Employee #1 engaged the emergency stop button for the pump, removed the cover, and pulled on the belt a few times, thinking that there was a possible blockage. He pulled on the NAPA BX56 cogged belt to help remove the blockage until the belt moved easier. The operator then reset the emergency stop and placed the VFD control in auto. The pump started back up and then shut down. The employee left the VFD control in the auto position and went back to the pump. The employee stated that when he got back to the pump, he did not engage the emergency stop to troubleshoot. Employee #1 again pulled on the belt, at which time the pump started, pulling his right ring finger into the ingoing nip of the belt and the four inch motor pulley. The employee was wearing Rough Rider leather insulated gloves and pulled his hand away from the belt and pulley as soon as the pump started running. The employees right ring finger was pulled into the ingoing nip of the pulley and belt, fracturing his distal phalanges and injuring the tendon.

Keywords: Belt, Caught In, Fracture, Glove, Lockout/Tagout, Nip Point, Pulley, Pump

Employee Details
Employee # Inspection Nr Age Sex Degree of Injury Nature of Injury Occupation
1 1225086.015 60 M Non Hospitalized injury Water and sewage treatment plant operators

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