Struck by dislodged flying object, particle · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CARGILL, 2154 HWY 44, RESERVE, LOUISIANA 70084
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was throwing away a piece of pipe that was oddly shaped and heavier at the base. He threw it into the scrap metal trash bin and it rebounded against his middle finger, still placed against the edge of the trash bin, amputating his right middle fingertip from the top joint down.
An employee was observing a contractor who was clearing a blockage from a 6-inch HDPE slurry pipe. When the clog released, it caused the end of the pipe to whip, striking the employee's left leg and fracturing the femur.
An employee was moving cattle when they were rammed by a cow. The employee sustained fractures to their L2 and L5 vertebrae, left sacral wing, and pelvis. They also suffered internal hemorrhaging in the abdominal.
An employee was operating a stand-on forklift and was approaching the computer on the discharge line when her leg was pinned between the forklift and the discharge line and fractured.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 424510)
An employee was preparing to unjam an auger shaft while standing on a forklift-elevated, job-made platform. The employee's wrench slipped off the equipment, causing them to lose their balance and fall. The employee landed on the ground 14 feet below and suffered fractures to the orbital bone, left elbow, and lower back.
An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.
An employee had been cleaning a grain bin. He walked across the bin and his left foot contacted an unguarded floor auger, resulting in severe lacerations to the foot. The auger was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
On September 23, 2025, an employee was monitoring a feed roller when they tripped and their right hand contacted the roller. The employee was hospitalized and their right hand was amputated at the wrist.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk and stubbed his toe on an elevated portion of concrete, causing him to trip and fall. The employee's right knee was dislocated.