DEPLOYDatabase

Incident · Fatality

OSHA: 18-year-old machine operator killed by robotic arm during sensor maintenance (2024)

On December 2, 2024, an 18-year-old machine operator (employer: Traffic Materials Supplier, LLC) was performing maintenance on a sensor inside a robotic enclosure. The robot had been stopped by entrance sensors, but while he cleaned the sensor a coworker reset the machine from the control panel, unaware he was still inside.

The robotic arm activated, struck him, and reportedly lifted and placed him onto a roller platform; he sustained fatal internal and external injuries. OSHA accident investigation (inspection 1790802.015) cited lockout/tagout and machine-guarding failures.

Occurred 2024-12-02 · Investigated by OSHA

How to read this record

Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track OSHA: 18-year-old machine operator killed by robotic arm during sensor maintenance (2024)

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (2)

  1. https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=1790802.015
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=172270.015

Common questions

What happened in OSHA: 18-year-old machine operator killed by robotic arm during sensor maintenance (2024)?
On December 2, 2024, an 18-year-old machine operator (employer: Traffic Materials Supplier, LLC) was performing maintenance on a sensor inside a robotic enclosure. The robot had been stopped by entrance sensors, but while he cleaned the sensor a coworker reset the machine from the control panel, unaware he was still inside. The robotic arm activated, struck him, and reportedly lifted and placed him onto a roller platform; he sustained fatal internal and external injuries. OSHA accident investigation (inspection 1790802.015) cited lockout/tagout and machine-guarding failures.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on December 2, 2024 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Has anyone responded to OSHA: 18-year-old machine operator killed by robotic arm during sensor maintenance (2024)?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of OSHA: 18-year-old machine operator killed by robotic arm during sensor maintenance (2024)?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-22

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-22

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for OSHA: 18-year-old machine operator killed by robotic arm during sensor maintenance (2024).

Deploy Watch

Track this incident.

We notify you when the regulator updates the record, the remedy status changes, or a related incident surfaces.

Canonical ID 5880d253-4617-4fe2-a5df-6463ed37ae39