Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300613270 - Atlantic Adhesive, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Manhattan Area Office

Investigation Summary

A company that manufacturers adhesive used in rodent traps bought a vertical blender at an auction. The blender, which was to be used for blending the adhesive, did not have a guard to protect its blades. When the blender was purchased, the company did not believe that the lack of a guard was a hazard. The blender had a capacity of 7200 liters. The blending tank was 1.2 meters above the floor and was 940 millimeters in diameter. On March 21, 1996, an employee of the company was mixing adhesive material in the blender. He had mixed the batch and was using a stirring stick to wipe accumulated material from the edge of the blending vat while the blender was running. (This was a normal part of the production procedure.) The employee had on a loose fitting shirt, and the left sleeve on the shirt became entangled in the rotating blade on the blender. His shirt wrapped around the rotating shaft of the blender and compressed his neck and chest, causing asphyxiation and cardiac arrest. A coworker resuscitated the injured employee, who was transported to a hospital. He remained in the hospital in a coma until he died on December 22, 1996. The company installed a guard on the blender 2 days after the accident. (No citation was issued for the apparent violation of 1910.212(a)(1) because OSHA became aware of the violation more than 6 months after it was abated.)

Keywords: ROTATING PARTS, ASPHYXIATED, ROTATING SHAFT, LOCKOUT, ENTANGLED, BLADE, UNGUARDED