Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1532131.015 - M & C Forklift Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Tennessee Osha Knoxville Office - Safety

Investigation Summary

On January 25, 2021, an employee was working as a machinist for a firm that serviced forklifts. He was loading a piece of stock metal into a three-phase 220 Vac ATrump LV-65 dual-pallet CNC milling machine. This CNC machine was equipped with a rotary table consisting of two pallets, A and B. The pallets were separated by a metal interior door that protected employees from moving parts, flying particles, and coolant. The door had two windows with see-through material that let employees at the loading area monitor activity. The door was attached to the turntable; when the table rotated, so did the door. While the machine worked on pallet A, the operator loaded pallet B with a new workpiece. When the setup of pallet B was complete, the employee removed the setup blocks and tools from the pallet, closed the outer swivel doors, and waited for pallet A's seven-minute cycle to finish. At that point, the employee pressed a button to initiate table rotation, allowing pallet B to be machined. When the table had stopped rotating, the swivel doors were opened for removal of the finished product and to begin setup for a new workpiece. From the manufacturer, the machine did not permit table rotation if the outer swivel doors were open. The CSHO learned from employee interviews that the doors could in fact be opened moments after table rotation had begun, exposing employees to moving parts. Opening the doors in mid-rotation would not stop the table. In this incident, the employee closed the loading doors and pressed the cycle start button. To retrieve a setup block that he had left on the pallet, he opened the loading doors. The table and interior door were rotating. The employee was caught between the revolving door and the machine frame. He suffered multiple rib fractures, a fractured sternum, a degloving of his right arm, and a crushed chest and torso, with the result that both of his lungs were collapsed. On his way to the hospital, he coded several times. He was hospitalized.

Keywords: Arm, Avulsion, Broken Bone, Bypass, Bypass Guard, CNC Milling Machines, Caught Between, Caught By, Caught In, Chest, Collapsed lung, Degloving, Emergency Response, Fracture, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Lung, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Machinist, Rib, Rotating Parts, Safety Device, Torso