Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Maryland: An Operator Dies of Crushing Injuries When Caught Between Bridle Rollers of a Hot Dip Coating Line.

摘要

A 50-year-old male operator died of crushing injuries, to the head, left shoulder and arm, when he became caught between bridle rollers of a hot dip coating line. There were no eye witnesses to the incident. It appears that the victim was wiping down rollers, an established practice when they observe defects on the metal being processed. This task is accomplished by tying a shop rag to the end of a broom handle and running it across the rollers, while the line is running. It is unknown how the victim became caught between the bridle rollers. The Cold Processor found the victim, who was looking for process defects reported by the Delivery Processor. As he was walking from the process entry section of the line, toward the end of the line, the Cold Processor saw the victim caught between no. 6 and no. 7 rollers of the no. 7 bridle. He immediately hit the emergency stop button. The victim fell backward out of the line. When the Turn Foreman arrived the victim had no pulse and was not breathing. The Medical Examiner pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The Maryland FACE Field Investigator concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences employers should: (1) Shut down the process to clean the rollers; (2) Enforce lockout /tagout procedures; (3) Install barrier guards where personnel are exposed to in running rolls; (4) Develop a specific written procedure that permits cleaning of the rollers without placing the employee in a hazardous position.