Abstract: At approximately 8:20 a.m. on February 27, 1995, Employee #1, of Valley Tire Sales, had changed a 750-10 industrial tire mounted on a split rim. The rim consists of an inner section and an outer section that are assembled back to back and secured by nuts and bolts. The outer section has additional holes that align to the vehicle wheel studs and are secured to the wheel studs by nuts. Changing the tire requires that both inner and outer sections be dissembled and reassembled. After Employee #1 had reassembled the tire, he propped the tire at an angle against the threaded shaft of a Coats 4040 SA hold-down cone type tire inflation system and inflated the tire. The tire bead had already been forced onto the rim ledge to form an airtight seal between tire and bead. Employee #1 put approximately 75 lb of air in the tire and checked the tire pressure. After he reinstalled the clip-on chuck to continue tire inflation, the rims separated. Employee #1 suffered substantial injuries to his left wrist, biceps and chest, and abdomen area.