Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120326822 - Pirelli Armstrong Tire

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a forklift operator for Pirelli-Armstrong Tire Corp., had completed his regularly assigned duties and was assisting the rubber mixer operators. It was approaching the end of the work shift and he was cutting scrap rubber with a rubber cutter to rework it into the new rubber mix. When he reached in to get the block of rubber, the blade came down, amputating his right hand above the wrist for which he was hospitalized. The angle of the cut suggests that he put his right shoulder on the right button that activates the machine, and his left hand on the left button, while reaching in with his right hand as the cutting blade was coming down. Employee #1 tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamines, and the remaining effects of the drugs likely contributed to the accident. The rubber cutter machine was in good working order and had not been tampered with or modified before subsequent inspection. There was also no evidence of taping down or tape residue on the machine or of disassembly to inspect the components of the machine.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, ROTATING KNIFE, WORK RULES, INTOXICATED, BLADE, UNTRAINED, HAND, INATTENTION