May 12, 1986

The Philadelphia Regional Office has brought to our attention a potentially serious safety hazard existing with the use of tubular wire manufacturing machines. Investigation of a tubular strander machine at the site of a fatal accident determined that the bobbin containing wire rope froze to the spinning enclosure due to a bearing failure (see attached photographs). As a result, the bobbin was thrown through the opening of the enclosure fatally striking an employee.

Based on field evaluation of the tubular strander the following feasible accident prevention methods are recommended for this machine and similar ones:

1. Design and fabricate a case with a hinge or similar device that can be opened to permit safe access for loading the bobbin into the cradle. This cover should be of the same strength as the case and should be interlocked with the machine to prevent the machine to prevent the machine from operating when the cover is not in place.
2. Insure proper maintenance, as recommended by the manufacturer of the equipment and plan for timed replacement of components.

We recommend that compliance and consultation personnel be aware of the hazard addressed in this bulletin. Please disseminate this information to Area Offices, State Plan States, and Consultation Projects.