Inspection Detail

Inspection: 121982946 - Spinnaker Coating, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Cincinnati Area Office

Investigation Summary

Two employees were running a roll of polypropylene material, thin plastic, through a remoisturization process. The material would then be rewound on a turret winder, rewinder. The material was much harder to break than the traditional paper that was normally remoisturized. The rewinder had two bars on which paper or plastic could be rewound, and it also had a center "pivot" bar or arm. The three bars are framed together on the sides so that the rolls and pivot arm move together as a unit. The two winder rolls rotate inside the frame. As one roll was finished rewinding at about the floor level, the operator would advance the turret so that the full roll would be on top at about head-level. The empty roll would then be about shin-level. Employee #1 used a wooden mallet in his right hand to break the plastic and, instantaneously after the break, used his left hand to tuck the free end of the plastic onto the empty roll, which was rotating between 160-200 feet per minute. The employee's left hand was caught and held in the nip formed by the plastic on the roll, since the plastic did not break easily. Before the other employee could react and hit the emergency stop, Employee #1 was thrown around by his left arm, with his legs and arms striking the full roll of paper and the machine frame. Employee #1 suffered multiple fractures of his femurs in both legs, the ulna, radius and humerus of the left arm, and the metacarpal of the right hand.

Keywords: FRACTURE, PAPER ROLL, ROLLER--MACH/PART, CAUGHT BETWEEN, ARM, NIP POINT, PAPER MACHINE, LEG