Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1447042.015 - Frn Of San Diego, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:00 p.m. on November 15, 2019, an employee working as a mechanic for a full service automobile dealership had finished his work near the end of the day. The employee is a regular employee of the employer who works a daily shift from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. doing general auto mechanic work and oil changes. The employee went to assist a coworker who was doing a four tire exchange in the tire bay. The coworker was taking four tires off of one set of rims and replacing them onto another set of rims. The employee was operating a Hunter Revolution Automatic TCR1 PN 72-565-1 tire changer. His regular supervisor was in the office area at the time of the accident. The employee used the tire changer to remove the tires from the first set of rims. The tire changer has an automatic lifting and bead breaking process, lifting the tire and rim from the ground to a horizontal position at table height, then using paddles to break the bead on the lower and upper side of the tire rim. The changer has a computer module that the employee uses to program the process, and foot pedals that move the tire up into the horizontal position, and lower it back to the ground. Controls on the computer panel lower the bead breakers into position, and another foot pedal starts to rotate the table. The employee had completed the first tire but had not fully retracted the bead breaker. The coworker was on the ground nearby working on the second set of tires and rims. As the employee lifted the second tire into place, he had his hands on the tire. His right middle finger was pinched between the bead breaker paddle and the tread of the tire as the tire lifted into position. The employee crushed the tip of his right middle finger and the end of the distal phalanx had to be surgically reduced to repair the finger. The employee amputated the tip of his right middle finger, requiring medical treatment without hospitalization.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Automobile, Automotive Repair, Crushed, Finger, Fingertip, Hydraulic Equipment, Instantaneous amputation, Lack of Work Procedures, Material Handling, Mechanic, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Partial Amputation, Struck By, Surgical Amputation, Tire Rim