OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14255400
MERCER BROTHERS TRUCKING COMPANY
WILSON, NC·
Event description
EMPLOYEE KILLED WHEN STRUCK BY WHEEL RIM ASSEMBLY
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATELY 8:40 AM ON JUNE 13, 1987, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY IRE THAT EXPLODED THE INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE TIRE BEAD CAUSED THE BEAD TO FAIL A FTER THE TIRE WAS INFLATED, CAUSING THE TIRE TO EXPLODE. A SINGLE PIECE RIM WHEEL. HE HAD MOUNTED A 11-22.5 TRUCK TIRE ON A SINGLE PIECE RIM AND INFLATED THE TIRE. A FEW MINUTES LATER, AS THE EMPLOYEE WAS PREPARING TO PLACE THE INFLATED TIRE ON A READY RACK, THE TIRE EXPLODED. THE INTACT RIM WHEE L ASSEMBLY STRUCK THE EMPLOYEE IN THE UPPER BODY AND HEAD, KILLING HIM INSTANTLY . AN INSPECTION OF THE ASSEMBLY BY A TIRE CONSULTANT REVEALED INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE BEAD AND SIDE WALL OF THE TIRE, CAUSED BY HEAT AND FLAME. THE COMPANY APPAR ENTLY ROUTINELY SPRAYED A FLAMMABLE MATERIAL INTO TUBELESS TIRES AND THEN LIGHTE D IT. THE SUBSEQUENT EXPLOSION SERVED TO SET THE TIRE BEAD. IN THE CASE OF THE T
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 48 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 2
- Occupation code
- 507
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 5
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.