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Inspection Detail
Inspection: 309184612 - Polymer Technologies And Services, Inc.
Inspection Information - Office: Columbus Area Office
Site Address:
Polymer Technologies And Services, Inc.
1835 James Parkway
Heath, OH 43056
Mailing Address:
, , 00000
Union Status: NonUnion
SIC:3089
NAICS: 326199/All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Safety
Close Conference: 07/21/2006
Emphasis: N:Amputate, S:Amputations
Case Closed: 05/15/2008
| Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 100752518 |
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Current Violations | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Initial Penalty | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $2,000 |
| Current Penalty | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $2,000 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001 | Serious | 19100212 A03 II | 08/10/2006 | 10/12/2006 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement |
Investigation Summary
At approximately 9:30 a.m. on June 22, 2006, Employee #1 was working as a machine operator at the plastics manufacturing facility of Polymer Technologies and Services, Inc. The company had an industrial blender in which recycled plastic chips were mixed. The mixing operation was performed several times daily. Employee #1 had been hired on April 11, 2006, and she had been performing this job for approximately one month. She was mixing recycled plastic chips in an industrial blender. The blender was elevated approximately 5.5 feet above the workroom floor to allow for gravity feed of the product to hoppers placed underneath. Employees accessed the mixing tank by climbing an eight-foot mobile ladder stand. The distance from the top step of the mobile ladder stand to the opening of the mixing tank was 50 inches. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was filling the blender with recycled plastic chips. There were no witnesses to the accident. Employees and management believe that Employee #1 might have been attempting to retrieve something from the mixing tank. If so, she would have raised herself above the top step of the mobile ladder stand. From that vantage, she might have fallen onto or have been pulled into the turning mixing blade. She was caught by the blade and asphyxiated. She was killed. The company had not established standard operating procedures for the blender, but the previous operator of the blender, assigned to train new blender operators, had developed handwritten procedures and used these procedures during training. The company had lockout/tagout procedures. The blender was not guarded. Company maintenance personnel stated that brackets welded to the top inside edge of the blender's trough were probably put there to support a guard. Several other blenders of a different style did have guards above their blending troughs. This blender was purchased secondhand at auction, and the manufacturer, model number, and serial number are unknown. The company did not have an operator's manual for the blender.
Keywords: MIXER BLADE, ASPHYXIATED, LADDER, MACHINE OPERATOR, MIXER, CAUGHT BY, LOCKOUT, MECH MAT HANDLING, UNGUARDED, UNSTABLE POSITION
| # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 309184612 | Fatality | Asphyxia | Machine operators, not specified |