Struck against object or equipment while moving it · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Alabama Catfish, LLC, 1260 WashingotnStreet, UNIONTOWN, ALABAMA 36786
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was finned by a catfish while picking up and sorting the fish. The employee's fingertip was amputated after becoming infected.
On August 7, 2024, a contracted employee was operating a fish skinner that uses two rotating stones to skin catfish when fingers on her right hand were caught by the stones and severely injured, resulting in hospitalization. The employee sustained an open wound of a finger with damage to the nail/nailbed and an open fracture of the distal phalanx.
Two employees were pushing a lawn mower into a utility truck. The injured employee placed their hand at the left side of the lawn mower deck when they were struck by a blade. The employee's left middle and ring finger were lacerated.
A temporary employee was working in the shipping and receiving area while loading a truck with sheet metal. The employee went to put down the product when the sheet metal lacerated their left middle finger. The employee was hospitalized and the tip of the finger was medically amputated.
An employee was carrying a pressure-treated 2x6 board while plating a foundation. The employee put the board on an anchor bolt when a 3-inch sliver of wood got caught in his hand, resulting in a punctured tendon.
An employee was in the packaging area in a warehouse transporting a 5-foot tilt and roll ladder back to its storage location. The employee was pushing the ladder while standing inside of it when it began to tilt over. As the employee reached to stop the ladder from tilting, his right hand contacted the metal serrated platform. The ladder continued to tilt and as he pulled his hand free, the employee's right middle fingertip was amputated.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311710)
An employee was cutting a fish hung up on a hook using a knife when the hook came off, causing his hand to slip. The employee's right thumb was severely lacerated by the knife.
An employee was clearing a jam in a fish skinning machine when his hand became caught between two plastic cogs that operate the conveyor belt. His hand was injured and required surgery. His left index finger was surgically amputated. The machine was energized at the time of the incident.
An employee was in a tunnel freezer, which was being turned on for the first time. The baffling for the evaporator fan got stuck in the siding. The employee ascended a 5'9"-tall cart to reach the raised baffling panel. The raised baffling shifted and dropped, trapping the employee's arm between the aluminum and foam core baffling. The employee sustained a severe laceration to the lower forearm/upper wrist and severed ligaments. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.