Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for New York: Machine Operator Dies of Crushing Injuries When Caught by a Bridle Roller on a Hot Tin Coating Line

摘要

On May 13, 2002, a 52 year-old male machine operator (the victim), who was employed by a copper manufacturing company, sustained fatal crushing injuries as a result of being caught by an ingoing pinch point on a hot tin coating machine (tinning line). The pinch point was created by a moving metal strip that was to be coated and a steel bridle roller that tensioned the strip on the tinning line. At the time of the incident, the victim was one of two second-shift operators on the tinning line. A new coil of brass strip had just been loaded onto the machine and the tinning line was running at a speed of 50 feet per minute (FPM). There were no witnesses to the incident. It appeared that the victim's left glove became caught between a bridle roller and the moving brass strip while he was wiping the bridle roller with a piece of sand paper. He was pulled into the line and sustained crushing injuries to his head. At approximately 8:30 PM, the other second-shift operator noticed that the brass strip was out of alignment. He followed the brass strip to the end of the line and found the victim caught and crushed by the bridle roller and the brass strip. The operator immediately hit the emergency stop button to shut down the line and notified the shift supervisor. The shift supervisor phoned the plant EMT, who arrived at the scene within minutes. A state police investigator also responded to and secured the site. The medical examiner was called and pronounced the victim dead at the scene.