Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1500808.015 - County Materials Corp.

Inspection Information - Office: Madison Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 5:53 p.m. on October 29, 2020, an employee working as a machine operator for a concrete paver block manufacturer was inspecting stone blocks. The employee entered the kiln area used to dry the paver blocks. The purpose of entering the kiln area was to inspect the blocks for cracks as the particular type of paver block being manufactured had a history of cracking in the kiln. The blocks that were setting on the elevator rack when the automatic finger cart began moving toward the elevator to retrieve the blocks from the elevator. The employee was caught between the elevator and the finger cart. The finger cart was equipped with an audible alarm and visual strobe light that activated prior to the finger cart moving. However, the employee could not perceive these alarms due to high ambient noise levels and low ambient lighting. In addition, the employee was wearing hearing protection due to the noise. The finger cart and elevator were located behind a fence inside the kiln area, and the fence was equipped with an interlocked gate that would disable the block line and finger cart when opened. However, a panel of the fence had been removed approximately two weeks prior to this incident, and the employee walked through the fence opening instead of opening the interlocked gate. The employee was hospitalized to treat fractures to his hip, back and arm.

Keywords: Alarm, Arm, Automatic Machine, Back, Blocks, Bypass, Bypass Guard, Cart, Catch Point, Caught Between, Crushed, Elevator, Fence, Fracture, Gate, Hip, Inspecting, Interlock, Kiln, Laborer, Lack of Engineering Controls, Lighting, Machine operator, Material Handling, Noise, PPE, Pinned, Poor Visibility