Inspection Detail

Inspection: 111992475 - Energy Coatings Co

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, of Adia Temporary Services, was assigned to work at the Energy Coatings Co., as a plug puller. His job was to insert and remove soft plugs from the ends of large diameter pipe sections being fed through a wheelabrator on a rack of powered rubber roller wheels. The wheel turned and fed pipe through the wheelabrator. Due to a mechanical malfunction, a pipe section was backed into the wheelabrator, causing the shot seal at the wheelabrator outlet to pull into the machine. When the machine's forward motion was resumed, segments of the seal did not come back out, allowing steel shot to escape past the seal and strike the plug puller and build up on the floor. Employee #1 called his supervisor, who said it would be OK and was not a bad condition. He then walked across the line to the operator's station. Employee #1 pulled the plug and followed the supervisor across the line, signaling to the wheelabrator operator to shut down the machine. Employee #1 turned toward the seals to pull out the segments when the wheelabrator stopped. As Employee #1 turned, he slipped on shot that had accumulated on the floor. He put out his right hand out to stop his fall and grabbed the machine's in-running roller. His hand was caught between the roller and the 40 ft section of steel 42 in. diameter pipe, breaking fingers and abrading the skin, muscle, and tendons off the back of his right hand.

Keywords: FRACTURE, TENDON, FINGER, SLIP, ROLLER--MACH/PART, CAUGHT BETWEEN, ABRASION, HAND