Inspection Detail

Inspection: 305354342 - American Asphalt South Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

On June 28, 2004, an employee was working on a slurry machine, which was to be used in resurfacing operations for the asphalt roads. The slurry machine mixes oil, water, concrete mix and other ingredients to make slurry used for resurfacing roads. After the slurry is mixed, it gets transferred automatically into a spreading box, which is also a part of this machine, and then the slurry gets poured onto the road surface. The transfer of slurry from the box into the spreading box takes place via a chute equipped with an auger inside it. At the time of the accident, this intermediate chute was clogged because a piece of paper from a cement bag was stuck near the pouring end of the chute. The auger had jammed and stopped turning. Without turning the auger off, the employee reached into the end of the chute with his left hand and tried to pull the piece of paper out. In doing so, his left hand came in contact with the auger, which started to turn and injured his three fingers. The chute end was 4.5 in. in diameter and the rotating auger was about 3 in. from the chute end. A cover on the spreading box normally covers the pouring end of this chute, but at the time of the accident, this cover was removed by the employee to gain access to the chute end. The employee suffered crushing injuries to his index, middle and ring fingers on his left hand. The employee was hospitalized and surgery was required to repair the damage.

Keywords: FINGER, MACHINE OPERATOR, CAUGHT BETWEEN, AUGER