Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300774916 - Robertson'S Ready Mix

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on January 9, 1997, Employee #1, who worked for a company that manufactured slurry for the construction industry, was cleaning an aggregate conveyor known as the grizzly. The grizzly is used to transport aggregate material from a truck hopper located on the east side of the yard to a storage area on the west side. The material is fed by gravity from the hopper onto the grizzly. During this process, some aggregate material inevitably falls off the side of the hopper and accumulates, requiring that it be cleaned away. In addition, because the aggregate material tends to be wet, it sticks to the sides of the belt and roller, and causes the belt to become misaligned as it passes through the take-up drum. As a result, the take-up drum also requires periodic cleaning. Employee #1 was engaged in this job, standing inside the tunnel cleaning the area of the conveyor that was beneath the hopper and adjacent to the take-up drum. The conveyor was operating at the time and, instead of using an extension tool, Employee #1 was cleaning material from the drum with his gloved left hand. His glove became caught by the conveyor belt and his arm was pulled into the machine and crushed. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where his arm had to be amputated between the elbow and shoulder. Employee #1 was a truck driver with two years experience, and was only working in the yard because he had lost his driver's license.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, GLOVE, WORK RULES, CLEANING, INEXPERIENCE, CONVEYOR, EXTENSION HANDLE, ARM, NIP POINT, CONVEYOR BELT