Worker seriously injured by exploding tire
Date of incident: March 2013
Notice of incident number: 2013155010023
Employer: Auto service company
Incident summary
A tire technician repaired and inflated two small utility tires that had been removed from an air-conditioning recharging unit. He left the tires on the tailgate of his truck to do some other tasks nearby. When he returned to get a piece of equipment from the back of his truck, one of the tires exploded and struck his face. He suffered serious injuries.
Investigation conclusions
Cause
- Worker struck by utility tire that exploded: The tire technician suffered serious injuries after a utility tire that he had repaired exploded and struck him in the face.
Underlying factors
- Over-inflation of the utility tire: The tire failed in a burst failure mode because it was over-inflated.
- Safe work procedure not followed: The tire technician did not follow the safe work procedure that his employer had developed for inflating small utility tires. He did not ensure that the tire was restrained, and then he over-inflated the tire.
2021-04-22 20:42:33