Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312430507 - Circle Paint Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

On December 8, 2008, Employee #1, a paint mixer, was operating a Cowles Dissolver, Model Number W24-2X, paint mixing machine to mix a paint tub. The tub contained approximately 30 to 35 gallons of paint. After pouring about 23 gallons of clear water base into the tub, Employee #1 realized that he was short by 2 gallons of the clear base to make a the proper mixture. He notified his supervisor about the shortage in clear base, at which point he was instructed to add one gallon of resin and one gallon of water to make up for the missing base. While the paint mixing machine was running, Employee #1 filled a 1 gallon container with resin and began pouring the resin into the tub. The tub was covered with two wooden covers, one of which was left one-quarter of the way open for Employee #1 to pour in the resin. Additionally, the machine had a shaft with a blade at the end of it that fit down into the tub. As he poured the resin into the tub, using a wooden stick to scrape the product from the container, and wearing yellow latex gloves, the resin, stuck to the shaft, as well as the container and his glove. His left arm was pulled into the shaft and became wrapped around the shaft. Employee #1 called for help and a coworker immediately turned off the machine of. Emergency services were contacted and Employee #1 was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was hospitalized and underwent surgery to repair a broken left arm, spanning from his shoulder to his wrist. The surgery entailed inserting screws and staples into his arm.

Keywords: FRACTURE, GUARD, MACHINE OPERATOR, CAUGHT BY, CAUGHT BETWEEN, INEXPERIENCE, SAFETY BAR, ARM, PAINTER