Emergency Stop Switches

At approximately 12:30 p.m. on March 5, 2014, Employee #1, a mixing and blending machine operator, was working at a facility that manufactured daylight fluorescent pigment. He used Mixer Number 38 and a 30 in. high, 37.75 in. diameter pot to mix materials. The speed of mixer was about 5 RPM. The round blade attached to the end of the shaft was inserted deep to the bottom of the pot. Employee #1 placed a powder pigment into the mixture to form final product. The powder pigment bag was a double-bag with paper outside and plastic inside. He had placed one 35-pound powder pigment bag into the pot. While pouring a second bag of the pigment into the pot, the inner plastic bag became separated from the outer paper bag and fell into the pot. The plastic bag wrapped around the spinning shaft and pulled his left arm in the shaft. His arm was pulled further into the pot, causing the left side of his body to lean on the pot and his head to contact the upper part of the mixer. Employee #1 sustained a serious laceration to the left side of his head, a broken left arm and bruises to his left ribs. Employee #1 was transported to a medical center, where he underwent medical procedures as well as additional treatment and was then hospitalized for three weeks.