Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Hostess Brands LLC, 1525 Industrial Rd, EMPORIA, KANSAS 66801
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
On 4/12/2015, at 9:30 a.m., an employee was cleaning the used bin of the icing equipment. The equipment door would not open, so an engineer was called to troubleshoot the issue. The employee was performing a visual check and watching the chains to see which one moved so the engineer could work on the issue. The employee stuck his right hand into the airlock, which resulted in an amputation of three middle fingertips.
HospitalizedAmputationFingertip(s)Food and beverage processing machinery-specialized, n.e.c.
An employee was operating a donut wrapper machine. There was a small gap between the wrapper framework, fixed factory guard, and motor housing. His fingers went into the gap and came into contact with the chain and gear assembly. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated without bone loss.
An employee was assembling a machine that pumps icing on products. Upon retrieving a part that fell into the machine, the spinning pump/motor amputated the employee's left ring fingertip.
On October 28, 2022, an employee was cleaning an air compressor when their middle finger was amputated above the first knuckle. The machine was not locked out at the time.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
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An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311812)
An employee (who had recently walked through water accumulated on the floor) slipped and fell to the floor. The employee suffered a broken right wrist and right elbow and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was performing maintenance on a production line, requiring a testing and positioning phase for the whipped cream dispensers. The employee was positioning the dispensers using wrenches when one of the sensors was triggered by the pie pans coming down the line. The depositor heads lowered and pinched the employee's left ring finger, resulting in an amputated fingertip. The whipped cream dispensers were not guarded at the time and the line was not locked out/tagged out.
During a line changeover, an employee was rinsing a depositor with water. The employee was working to remove a piece of chocolate, stuck in the machine's roller, when the roller's moving parts caught his middle finger. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip with bone loss.
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An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
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