An Iowa tire recycling company has been cited by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Association (Iowa OSHA) after one of its employees suffered a partial amputation of his arm while on the job.
News sources say the incident at Liberty Tire Recycling in Des Moines occurred on May 9, while workers were performing maintenance on the conveyor system of a tire grinding machine. One man’s arm became entangled in a piece of machinery, resulting in his arm being amputated at the elbow. He was transported to a local hospital.
An Iowa OSHA investigation found that Liberty Tire Recycling did not have the required machine guarding in place at the time of the incident. The company was cited for two serious violations and fined $17,368.
Liberty Tire collects and recycles more than 33% of the nation’s scrap tires, according to its website. The company says it has “a long tradition of excellence in employee well-being, safety and product quality. We value our customers’ and employees’ confidence in the quality and safety of our tire collection and recycling processes. We maintain quality control procedures to ensure our plants are operating safely and comply with all industry standards.”