Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112116033 - Chemrite Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Los Angeles District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was a powder blender and leadsman on the night shift at Chemrite Corporation in Hawthorne, CA. He had filled a bin with powder detergent and other solid additives, then used a forklift to move the bin to a mixing vat. He dumped in the contents through a 2 ft by 1 1/2 ft opening in the wood cover of the vat. After starting the mixer, he returned the forklift and bin to the filling area. According to a coworker, Employee #1 had forgotten to add "blue suds" to the original detergent mix. The coworker brought him three 25 lb boxes, which Employee #1 dumped into the vat from a 3 ft high platform. As he added the third box, the plastic inner liner from the box fell into the mixing vat. Employee #1 was reaching inside the mixing vat through the opening to retrieve the bag when his hand and arm became caught in the auger blades. Before a nearby coworker could shut off the machine, he was pulled and wedged inside the mixing vat. Employee #1 was killed. Paramedics from the Hawthorne City Fire Department removed Employee #1's body from the vat.

Keywords: MIXER BLADE, POURING, WORK RULES, MIXER, CAUGHT BY, LOCKOUT, AUGER