FATAL FACTS: Fatal Tire Explosion

SUMMARY

A 51-year-old tire technician with ten years of experience was killed in November 2024 when a tire exploded during mounting at a small independent tire shop.

He was mounting a used automotive tire onto a spare trailer rim. The shop sourced its tires from a salvage yard, increasing the need for careful inspection. While inflating the tire on the floor and striking it with a mallet to seat the bead, the tire suddenly exploded from underneath. The force launched the tire and rim upward, hitting the ceiling and then striking the technician in the face, neck, and chest. A customer nearby was knocked backward. Emergency responders arrived quickly, but the technician’s injuries were fatal, and he later died at a trauma hospital.

Following the incident, investigators found:

  • The technician was inflating a tire without using any safety restraining device (like an inflation cage).
  • The tire was inflated well above its 40 psi maximum because the shop’s air system had no pressure regulator.
  • The tire and rim were incompatible — a 14-inch tire was mounted on a 14.5-inch rim.
  • The tire was 19 years old and had a corroded bead seat.
  • The employer had no written Accident Prevention Program (APP).
  • The shop provided no documented safety training for employees.

REQUIREMENTS

Employers must:

  • Protect workers from hazards related to exploding rims and tire components (WAC 296-864).
  • Follow required procedures for inflating single-piece rims, including:
    • Inflate tires only when inside a restraining device or bolted to a vehicle with lug nuts tightened.
    • Ensure no flat/solid surface is within one foot of the sidewall trajectory.
    • Keep workers out of the tire trajectory.
    • Never exceed inflation pressure stamped on the tire unless recommended by the manufacturer.
  • Do not exceed pressure needed to seat the bead (WAC 296-864-50020).
  • Develop a formal, written APP and provide/implement/enforce safety and health training (WAC 296-800-14005 & 14020).

RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Provide training & certification: Use reputable, hands-on tire service and safety certification programs; maintain current documentation.
  • Demonstrate safety leadership: Owners/managers should actively model and enforce proper safety equipment use and procedures to build a safety-focused culture.