Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119902278 - Aep Industries Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on January 21, 1996, Employee #1 was changing the roll on a polyethylene bag winder when his left arm became caught in the windup roller. He activated the safety trip wire on the micro-switch, but the winder did not stop before Employee #1 suffered a fractured forearm. Subsequent investigation by the employer revealed that a small piece of cardboard inserted into the micro-switch had delayed the stop action. The employer was unable to determine who had tampered with the switch, but inspection records indicated that it was functioning normally when the production run started on January 17, 1996. The division proposed an informational memorandum be issued to insure that all safety switches associated with winders and idler rolls of the polyethylene extrusion process were functioning as designed, as per T8CCR 4580(d).

Keywords: FRACTURE, MAINTENANCE, SAFETY CONTROL LINE, FOREARM, CAUGHT BY, ROLLER--MACH/PART, MECH MALFUNCTION