Inspection Detail

Inspection: 305479560 - Aero Electric Connector Inc Aka Conesys, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On May 25, 2005, Employee #1 was working at his place of employment, where electronic components, such as connectors, were manufactured out of plastic, rubber, and metal. The plant had an area devoted to the manufacturer of rubber electronic components, and Battenfeld Injection Rubber Molding Machines were used in that area. Those machines were equipped with air feed systems consisting of a feed hopper and a cylindrical canister, where pieces of rubber were dropped. The machines also had plungers that went up to allow feeding of material and down to push the material to the bottom of the canister and force it horizontally through an auger and towards the mold. An operator was responsible for normal machine operations. A set-up man was responsible for setting the molds into place and feeding raw materials into the feed hopper. The operator activated the plunger, which came down into the hopper, but an air line (hose) which was manually repositioned, could prevent the plunger from coming down into the feeding canister. When the air line was positioned in the upper air socket, the plunger would travel downward upon activation by the operator. If the air line was positioned in the lower air socket, the plunger would not travel downwards. At the time of the accident, a machine operator called for assistance with feeding material into her machine. The set-up person, Employee #1, began dropping small pieces of rubber into the feed hopper (metal canister). Having fed the hopper, Employee #1 then transferred the air line to the upper air socket, which cued the operator that the machine was ready to be cycled. The machine operator initiated the machine at the exact time that Employee #1 decided he was going to put in additional materials, because the machine had been requiring more material than usual. Employee #1's right fingertip was amputated as the plunger came down into the hopper. The machine involved in the accident was a 1993 Battenfeld Injection Rubber Molding Machine (Model Number PLUS 350, Serial Number PL 34942315710).

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, MOLDING MACHINE, STRUCK BY