Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Marathon Cheese Corporation, 500 East Parker Drive, BOONEVILLE, MISSISSIPPI 38829
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning out a powder hopper while standing on a platform ladder. He slipped, and his right hand went into the hopper to the bottom auger, which was about 12 inches from the top of the hopper. He sustained a right index fingertip amputation.
An employee was walking between two production lines when he tripped and fell over a pallet that had some equipment on it. The employee fell on his right side, resulting in a fractured hip and a possible thumb injury.
An employee was removing cheese product from the top of a conveyor belt. His right ring finger got pulled under the metal product guide rail at the edge of the conveyor and was pinched between the conveyor and the guide rail. The employee sustained an amputation of the fingertip between the first knuckle and the fingernail.
An employee was placing a flow control access cover on a slicer that was not locked out after troubleshooting it. While replacing the cover, the machine cycled and the traveling blade gate assembly passed the machine's framework and created a pinch point that caused a crush injury and laceration to the employee's left middle finger. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was preparing to straighten a photo proximity eye in a machine when their left index finger was pinched between a moving belt and a fixed component of the machine, resulting in a fingertip amputation. The machine was unguarded at the time of the incident.
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.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
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 311513)
An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was changing an O-ring on a pneumatic valve. The employee had placed the valve on his work cart and was applying air to open the valve and access the O-ring. After changing the O-ring, the valve closed on his fingertip, crushing it. He was taken to the hospital, where he received an amputation.
An employee was using a pike to move a pallet of sugar that was stuck in the powder racking. The employee fell backward, landing on his right leg. The employee's leg was fractured and he was hospitalized.
The injured employee was carrying totes of cheese when they tripped over another employee's foot/ankle and fell to the cement floor. The injured employee sustained six fractured ribs on the left side and was hospitalized.
An employee was checking a pole-type transformer tank for leaks. A hydraulic clamping device was lowered onto his right thumb and crushed it against the sharp edge of the bottom of the tank. He suffered a partial transphalangeal amputation to the thumb.
The injured employee was standing behind a table. She jumped out to scare another employee, but tripped and fell on the tile floor, injuring her right ankle/foot. She was hospitalized with a dislocated ankle that required surgery.
An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was operating a gas tugger to lift metal sheeting. His left hand was pulled into the pulley, which crushed his left thumb, resulting in avulsions and other tissue damage. He was hospitalized and required surgery.