Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1579994.015 - American Nickeloid Company

Inspection Information - Office: Naperville Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:20 a.m. on February 21, 2022, Employee #1 was operating the large level line and noticed product had jammed on the stacker conveyor. He entered a conveyor to remove product build-up. The large leveler machine takes coiled steel and runs it through a leveling head to ensure the product is completely smooth. The leveled steel is then run through a shear where it is cut to size. Once cut, the stock is moved via conveyor belt into a caged "stacker" section of the machine, where it is either stacked on a pallet or scrapped if the piece is blemished The stacker section of the leveler line is comprised of two tiers, with the product being transported to the appropriate tier by a movable conveyer line. The conveyor is hinged on one side and is raised and lowered, depending on the quality of the stock. If the material is scrap, the conveyor raises up at an angle and the stock it is transported and deposited in a scrap hopper. It the stock is of good quality, the conveyor stays in the horizonal position, and the stock is stacked on a pallet. To clear the jam, Employee #1 put the machine in scrap mode and entered the stacker conveyor cell. While pulling jammed product off the pile-up, one of the pieces of product slid down the conveyor and through two rollers where a photo eye is located. Once the photo eye detected product, it activated and caused the conveyor to suddenly raise up, pinning Employee #1 between the conveyor end and 2nd tier framing. Employee #1 was eventually removed from the machine and later died from the sustained injuries, i.e., crushing injuries to the head and neck of the employee.

Keywords: Conveyor, Conveyor Belt, Crushed, Head, Hopper, Jammed, Neck, Pallet, Pinned, Steel