Machine Operator Crushed by Robotic Platform

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hetzler, William E. ; Hirsh, Gary L.
• Corporate Authors:
  Nebraska Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (Nebraska FACE) ; Nebraska. Department of Labor
• Description:
  A 23-year-old carousel operator, at a meat packing plant, was killed when his foot tripped a light sensor causing a computer controlled robotic platform to come down from above, crushing his skull. He had been watching a maintenance technician work on a conveyor and apparently stepped on the conveyor to get a better view of what the mechanic was doing. The conveyor the mechanic was working on had been shut off but the entire system had not been locked out. Power still remained to the light sensors and the robotic platform. When the platform came down it pinned the victim between the platform and the conveyor. When they lifted the platform off the victim, the victim fell approximately 15 feet to the concrete floor below. Death was most likely caused by the blow to the head from the robotic platform, not the fall. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The Nebraska Department of Labor Investigator concluded that to prevent future similar occurrences employers should: 1. ensure all equipment is properly locked out/tagged out prior to performing maintenance on it. 2. consider implementing a spot inspection program to ensure all employees are complying with safety requirements. 3. develop procedures to ensure individuals not involved in maintenance activities are not in the immediate area of the maintenance being performed. 4. consider installing a protective grate around access areas to the robotic platform.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Maintenance Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Safety Management Workplace
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Equipment-operators Equipment-reliability Injuries Injury-prevention Machine-guarding Machine-operation Machine-operators Maintenance-workers OSHA Region 7 Protective-measures Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-monitoring Safety-programs Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Work-areas Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices

  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Machine (All) ; Machine - Manufacturing ; Machine - Robot
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE99NE017
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Nebraska ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20027903
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2010-115328
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 99NE017, 2000 Jan ; :1-7
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Performing Organization:
  Nebraska Department of Labor
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  31-33 - Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1993/09/30
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bd91a5b5ec47763cdac035f0149e45cb1e9996105a3355857ef9654ed3e8ac17b4aef14933bae715c93207dfc499ee87d4a0a548dfef63605c22039d5fc02c9a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/166988/cdc_166988_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 203.38 KB ]