Catastrophic Centrifuge Failure

Description of Incident

The workers were processing slurry from a storage tank that was used to store shaker screen runoff. A vac truck was used to direct feed the centrifuge through the centrifuge feed pump. As the second load was finished, the centrifuge operator went to the PLC controls to wind down the machine from its operating speed. At this point, the centrifuge made a loud noise and began to vibrate. Immediately after the loud noise, the centrifuge back drive motor, gearbox and drive shaft were ejected from the centrifuge stand, falling to the ground.

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