Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1740802.015 - Kumho Tire Georgia, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Atlanta East Area Office

Investigation Summary

On April 10, 2024, an employee working as a maintenance worker for a tire manufacturer was troubleshooting the pallet loading failures of the WIGWAG-1 line. Surveillance video showed the employee entering the machine through the discharge conveyor without performing lockout/tagout. Entering the machine required passing through two sets of light curtains, which stopped the machine. Video surveillance also shows multiple coworkers standing at the discharge area control panel with full view of the area. The employer determined that these coworkers had full knowledge of the employee being inside the machine. The coworkers reset the machine to full operation with the employee inside, as proven by the visibly moving internal components. The coworkers then stopped the line via the discharge area panel. At this point, the employee proceeded to climb up onto stacked pallets inside of the machine to make adjustments to presumably the photo eye sensor. At approximately 3:09 p.m., as recorded from the timestamp on the video, another coworker appears from the front end of the line and climbs up to the control panel on the catwalk. This coworker then resets the machine causing the gripper mechanism to operate. This forces the employee's head into the gripper flap. At 4:15 p.m. the employee died from crushing injuries to his head.

Keywords: Bypass, Bypass Guard, Caught Between, Communication, Crushed, Head, Lack of Engineering Controls, Light Curtain, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Maintenance, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Unsafe Position