Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302015383 - Staffmax Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

A number of employees, working for a staffing agency, were at a custom injection molding company located in a 50,000 square ft facility. There were 14 employees of the company itself working on site, and about 90 employees from the staffing agency working three shifts, five days per week. These workers were the ones responsible for operating the injection molding machines. At approximately 5:15 p.m., during the second shift, the operator of a Van Dorn 200 injection molder reported a problem with the feed mechanism supplying ABS pellets. (The machine was making battery packs for a respirator company; 278 grams of material were used for each product.) The flow of pellets into the injection molder had stopped, while the barrel of the injection molder continued to spin. The foreman shut down the machine and used a propane blow torch to unclog the injection tip by heating the material inside. When this attempt failed, the foreman unscrewed the tip. Yellow smoke began to pour out to the barrel and employees complained of headaches and dizziness. The building was evacuated, and Employees #1 through #7 were transported to the hospital, where they were treated and released.

Keywords: HEADACHE, MOLDING MACHINE, INHALATION, TORCH, CLOGGED, DIZZINESS, PLASTIC MFG, SMOKE, CHEMICAL VAPOR, SMOKE INHALATION