Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1532801.015 - Continental Tire The Americas, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Fairview Heights Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:30 a.m. on May 14, 2021, an employee working as a laborer for a tire manufacturer was operating a Midland Batch Off Machine on line #3. The employee was working alone, but was observed on a closed circuit TV by a coworker working on the same line on a different floor. The employee reached into a conveyor to in an attempt to straighten out the rubber tire stock entering between two rollers. The line was located between the second and third floor of a non-climate controlled area. The line was one of 21 lines conducting the mixing operation to build tires and was located inside a three story industrial warehouse/shop metal building. The temperature at the time of the event was warm and dry. According to statements taken, the employee had reached over a 42-inch stair rail to adjust the piece of stock rubber on the conveyor. The conveyor belt was approximately 6 feet below the railing. The employer had provided a hand tool (a hook like device) to keep employees from reaching down to straighten stock. The employer had also provided a trip wire that would shut down the machine if the tool came close to making contact with the ingoing nip points of the batch off machine. The rubber stock was approximately 3-foot by 5-foot long. The employee's left arm was caught by the conveyor. He was hospitalized to treat two amputated fingers and a fractured forearm.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Arm, Caught By, Conveyor, Conveyor Belt, Crushed, Engineering Controls, Finger, Forearm, Fracture, Hand Tool, Instantaneous amputation, Lack of Engineering Controls, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Pinch Point, Pinched, Production Line, Pulled In, Reaching, Reaching In, Rubber, Tire, Traumatic Amputation, Working Alone