A 51-year-old sanitation worker at a frozen-food packaging facility died after he collapsed while cleaning one of the conveyor lines. He was assigned to clean the North Pea Line. He opened the access doors on both sides of the cleaning pan blower housing in preparation for the cleaning. The equipment was not shut down nor locked out; the victim was not an authorized employee and, therefore, should not have been working on the equipment. However, he began work near an unguarded projecting shaft end on the inclined-conveyor-dead-end roller. His clothes got twisted around the end of the shaft, and he collapsed onto the conveyor. His supervisor was the first to notice him in the collapsed state, and other workers called emergency assistance while basic first aid/CPR was provided. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was examined and admitted. He died in the hospital the next day. The medical staff discovered no external signs of trauma and no musculoskeletal injuries to the victim. No evidence indicated he was asphyxiated by becoming entangled in the rotating shaft end. The victim was known to be diabetic, and his blood glucose levels were measured in the HIGH range in the ambulance and the emergency room. It remains unknown if a diabetic state contributed to his demise.
Citation 1
|
Item 1 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(A) |
Each authorized employee did not receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control. |
|
Item 2a 1910.147(d)(2) |
The machine or equipment was not turned off or shut down using the procedures established for the machine or equipment. |
|
Item 2b 1910.147(d)(4)(i) |
Lockout or tagout devices were not affixed to each energy isolating device by authorized employees. |
|
Item 3 1910.219(c)(4)(i) |
Unguarded projecting shaft ends did not present a smooth edge and end and projected more than one-half the diameter of the shaft. |