Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301333985 - Ronford Products

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:35 a.m. on January 17, 2005, Employee #1 was fixing a plastic extruder machine, Welex Plastic Extruder, Model 650-24, Serial Number 251. It had been taken out of service due to a hydraulic problem that prevented the breaker plates from shifting and thus the extruder screens could not be cleaned. Because the extruder screens could not be cleaned the plastic material was left to solidify in the extruder barrel. Employee #1 was using personal protective equipment provided by the employer, safety glasses, gloves and a dust mask. He turned on the barrel heaters which heats the barrel to between 350 and 430 degrees Fahrenheit. He then began replacement of the hydraulic unit. Once the hydraulic unit was installed Employee #1 removed and cleaned the shifter plates. A slug of material had formed in the barrel between the screw and the breaker plates. The slug measured 13.5-in. long and 6-in. in diameter. He used a propane torch to heat the slug to loosen it since the internal heaters would not reach the area where the slug was. He then put some acrylic material in the extruder feed throat and started the screw. He wedged a pry bar between the side of the barrel and the material slug. The slug, hot vapors and burnt material spewed out of the barrel severely burning Employee #1. He was hospitalized with second-degree burns to his face, back, chest, hands and arms.

Keywords: BURN, CHEST, MAINTENANCE, PPE, BACK, ARM, FACE, HAND