Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1741282.015 - 76135 - Carolina Cotton Works Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

At 7:30 a.m. on April 10, 2024, an employee working as a quality inspector for a sewing, needlework and piece goods manufacturer began the workday at the HAAS PLM Impianti Rotron AK 50-22 Inspection and Packing Machine in the open width finishing department. The employee was performing the rolling process, which she completed by approximately 11:00 a.m. After completing some housekeeping, the employee pressed the light curtain bypass button located on the fence of the HAAS machine on the alley side in order to enter the machine without breaking the light curtain. The bypass button had a 30 second timer on it to allow an employee to enter the area and exit before completely shutting off the machine. The status light on the machine remained solid green during this time. The employee then proceeded to walk in between the yellow backstop (also referred to as the outfeed or pneumatic table) of the machine and the gray metal table, which was bolted down to the floor at the end of the machine. She was possibly doing this to remove some film from the rollers. The motion of the employee's hand triggered the red photo eye, causing the yellow backstop to lower down, pinning the employee between the backstop and the metal table located behind her. The employee was transported to the hospital, where she died as a result of blunt force trauma.

Keywords: Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Bypass, Bypass Guard, Cleaning, Crushed, Danger Area, Danger Zone, Energized, Inspecting, Light Curtain, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Machine Cycled, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Pinned, Pneumatic equipment