An employee of a Tennessee tire plant was killed May 8 when he was caught in the moving arms of an assembly machine.
According to a report by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA), 33-year-old Ben Shew, a mechanic at Specialty Tires of Unicoi, had completed a welding repair on the machine while the power was locked out. After power was restored, though, Shew noticed a loose bolt and reached down to tighten it. The machine started back up and Shew was caught between equipment that moved in a circular motion and from side to side.