Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300050275 - Sorenson Tire Store

Inspection Information - Office: Omaha Area Office

Investigation Summary

An employee was sent to a remote work location (a county maintenance shed) to service Goodyear 1400 series tractor tires mounted on multipiece rims. These tires had a maximum pressure of 275 kilopascals. He had driven a service truck with a compressor to the site to perform the work. The compressor had a maximum pressure of 760 kilopascals. It was equipped with a reducer to limit air flow but not the maximum pressure. It did not have a regulator. The employee had repaired five tires and was starting on the sixth one. He bolted the rim on a Caterpillar road grader and began to assemble the tire. After mounting the rim, he put the tire and then the metal rim ring in place. He next installed the rubber O ring in the shallow grove in the rim. He installed the split metal lock ring and started inflating the tire. As the tire was being inflated, the employee cleaned his hands. When he returned to check the inflation pressure, the tire exploded and struck the employee. He died of head injuries sustained in the accident. The employer did not have rim charts on the service vehicle or at the main shop. The service vehicle was not equipped with a tire cage. The employee had not been trained in hazards associated with multipiece rims.

Keywords: HEAD, EXPLOSION, RESTRAINING DEVICE, INFLATING, MULTIPIECE RIM WHEEL, STRUCK BY, FLYING OBJECT, TIRE RIM, UNTRAINED, TIRE