A Tennessee worker was killed earlier this month while attempting to dislodge a part that was stuck in a piece of equipment.
According to reports, Hawkins County fire and rescue responded to a report of an industrial accident at MIS Inc. at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8. According to the company website, MIS specializes in Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Quality Management for manufacturing enterprises including the automotive industry.
Officials say 34-year-old Arthur James Hendrickson climbed into a machine known as a “hangar blast” to remove a part that had gotten lodged in the equipment. When the piece was removed, the door closed on Hendrickson trapping him. Hendrickson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office and Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) are investigating the accident.
“I observed Arthur slumped by a machine identified as a ‘hangar blast,’ wherein it appeared that his head and neck had been caught in a door panel which operated mechanically,” a sheriff’s office deputy’s report read. “Witnesses indicated that Arthur had been attempting to retrieve an object from inside the hangar when the door slammed shut, trapping Arthur. Efforts to extract Arthur from the machine were unsuccessful, leading to his demise.”