Fatality Investigation: Compost Plant Operator Caught in Rotating Conveyor Belt

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  On the morning of September 10, 2020, a lead operator and his assistant at an outdoor compost manufacturing facility, also known as a screen plant, were operating the plant's biomass screening system that processed recycled organic yard and food waste into compost, topsoil, and mulch. The system's final stage used a radial stacker conveyor that carried and discharged finished compost into stockpiles. Around 8:15 a.m., the assistant informed the lead that plastic debris were escaping from a metal waste container near the stacker. The lead told the assistant not to worry about it and to get a backpack leaf blower to clean up the debris. The lead then walked toward the tail end of the energized stacker. As the assistant got the blower, he heard the stacker shut down and yelled to the lead. Getting no response, the assistant walked to the machine and saw the lead under it with his head, left arm and shoulder caught between its unguarded steel return idler roller and rubberized conveyor belt. The lead's sweatshirt hood was entangled in the roller, and a spade metal scraper with a long wooden handle was also caught between the roller and belt and pressed against his throat. When the assistant could not pull the lead out, he ran to the operations trailer 75 feet away, shouting for help. The crew supervisor and facility manager came and released the lead by cutting his sweatshirt and the conveyor belt and breaking the scraper's handle. They did CPR until first responders arrived. The lead died at the hospital after nine days on life support. RECOMMENDATIONS: Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) investigators concluded that to protect their workers from similar hazards employers should: Ensure that equipment safety guards are not removed, displaced, or carried off. Identify lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedure steps and how to properly use and test LOTO devices' effectiveness for specific equipment. Conduct and document periodic reviews at least annually to make sure workers know and can apply LOTO procedures, including how to provide notification before LOTO application and removal on affected equipment. Document that LOTO training had been done and kept up to date for all authorized and affected workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace
• Keywords:
  Conveyor Belts Exposure Levels Hazards Lockout Tagout Protective Measures Risk Factors Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Practices Training Work Environment Workers Worker Safety

  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Case Studies
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064421
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 52-51-2022_summary, 2022 Jan; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Fatality investigation: compost plant operator caught in rotating conveyor belt
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e5bd5ba7334bb159fcfcf5fafb228c786a379663c7d610fba00621c74de8713c1601fa1ca66aca15bd7c7ed36753a5abde91f0eb69daf9a8634986ab769a549e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229114/cdc_229114_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 625.68 KB ]