Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at VISCOFAN USA, INC., 915 N. MICHIGAN AVE., DANVILLE, ILLINOIS 61834
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee's right middle finger was amputated in the slurry room of the chemical department when he contacted the rotating belts on the slurry pump.
On 8/16/2022, at 12:00 PM, an employee was observing the unloading of raw material from a tanker truck into the plant. When the hose was detached, H2SO4 93% (sulfuric acid) sprayed onto the employee's lower back, buttocks, and leg on the right side. The driver of the truck was also sprayed with sulfuric acid. The employee was hospitalized.
On March 21, 2021, an employee was walking in a powerhouse's boiler area when a large non-return valve ruptured. The employee suffered steam burns to the hands and face and was hospitalized.
While cleaning a centrifuge, an employee dropped a tool into the machine. The machine then grabbed the employee's glove and amputated their right index finger.
An employee was operating a strip saw. As the employee shut off the saw, their right index and middle fingertips were amputated by the blade before it came to a complete stop.
An employee was using a table saw to cut a piece of wood for wall framing. The wood jumped, causing the employee's hand to move toward the saw, amputating their left index finger and causing a laceration on their hand.
An employee was operating a trim saw. While trying to free a jammed board she had just cut, she came into contact with the running saw blade, which amputated her right thumb.
An employee was blowing out material in the blow-out booth when the silo magnet came down on his left hand, amputating the index and middle fingertips.
At the maintenance shop, an employee was drilling plastic parts using a drill press. The employee's left glove got caught in the drill, and half of her left ring finger and her left little fingertip were amputated.
A maintenance technician was servicing an extruder and removed the cam locking pin on a hot water/steam line to change a water hose. Hot water/steam sprayed out, striking the employee on the right forearm and the right side of their neck. The employee sustained burns to their neck, right forearm, and right leg.
An employee was entering an area while carrying a tray containing 20 pounds of product. A plastic curtain came into contact with the employee's shoulder; the employee suffered a herniated disc while dislodging the curtain.
An employee was working on a cutting line that utilized a machine to pull material through the line. The employee was turning a roller to feed material into the machine when their left hand was caught between the rollers, resulting in abrasions and a dislocated thumb. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery on the thumb.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.