Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126776087 - Nephi Rubber Products (Aka Nrp Jones)

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, an apprentice hose builder, was working on his first hose without supervision. The hose was 3 in. in diameter by 12 ft long. He started to apply a rubberized fabric at its head, and then slowly moved the fabric on a bias to a point about 2 ft from the head. A control box was clipped to his pants pocket to control the rotation of the lathe. The box had STOP and START buttons near the top, and a switch below this that turned off the lathe or changed its rotation. Employee #1 was toggling between the STOP and START buttons to slowly inch the fabric onto the hose. He had removed about 6 ft of a protective plastic wrapper from the fabric when he looked down to see if his finger was on the STOP button. His left hand became caught between the fabric and the hose, and he was flipped on the table. According to his supervisor, the control box was underneath him and the STOP button was depressed when he fell, halting the lathe immediately. Employee #1 tore several tendons in his left arm and severely fractured both bones in his left forearm.

Keywords: FRACTURE, LATHE, TENDON, STOP SWITCH, ROTATING SHAFT, WORK RULES, HOSE, CAUGHT BETWEEN, INEXPERIENCE, ARM