Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302886395 - Baltimore City Department Of Public Works

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

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on October 6, 1999, Employee #1 and a coworker were in an asphalt spreader truck, using hot asphalt to patch potholes. Employee #1 dismounted and activated the agitator, which broke up the asphalt and fed it into the screw conveyor to be pushed out the chute at the rear of the hopper. No asphalt was coming out of the chute, so Employee #1 climbed into the hopper while the agitator was still running to feed asphalt into the screw conveyor and/or break up any hardened asphalt. The rotating agitator snagged his left pants leg and pulled him down. Instead of shutting off the truck's engine or the control for the agitator, the coworker climbed on the side of the truck and grabbed Employee #1's arms to prevent him from being pulled further down into the agitator. Employee #1 suffered severe lacerations to his leg and torso, and part of his left leg had to be surgically amputated. Subsequent investigation revealed that the employer did not have a written procedure for the control of hazardous energy during cleaning operations, and employees were not trained in a uniform energy control procedure.

Keywords: CLOTHING, ROTATING PARTS, AMPUTATED, ROTATING KNIFE, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BY, LACERATION, AUGER, UNTRAINED, LEG