Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at VALCO, INC., 417 N. 4th St., COLDWATER, OHIO 45828
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
On or about August 3, 2015, an employee suffered a fingertip (left ring) amputation after entering the point of operation of the hydraulic brake press during production.
An employee was training new operators on a mechanical punch press. As the employee reached for a bolt inside the die, the press cycled and both their hands were caught/crushed in the press.
An employee was sharpening peeler blades when their shirt was caught in the grinding wheel. The employee sustained tendon damage and a crushed right hand.
An employee was preparing to cut lumber on a panel saw when the clamp engaged and caught the employee's left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 333111)
An employee was climbing up a fixed ladder alongside a building to inspect a roof leak. The employee fell off the ladder and landed on the ground about 15 feet below. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to both wrists.
On September 16, 2025, an employee went to pull a weld stand when he tripped and fell, landing on the floor on his right hip. The employee suffered hip and fibula fractures that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was accessing a tensioned hook that required a hoist mechanism to be engaged. He was unhooking the lift hook from a shelf column when the "up" button was pressed, which released the tension on the pneumatic air hoist. The employee's right index finger was caught between the hook and the column, resulting in a soft tissue amputation and fracture to the fingertip.
A crane was lifting a pole out of a zinc bath in the galvanizing department when the chain attached to the pole broke. The pole fell back into the bath and liquid zinc splashed onto an employee, who suffered third-degree burns to an arm, the abdomen, the torso, the upper left side of the chest, an ear, the neck, and a hand.
An employee was working to deliver mail to an apartment building. She was waiting for a customer to move, to obtain clearance to the mailboxes. The door swung inward and closed on her right little finger. The top half of her finger was surgically amputated.
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
An employee was setting up communication equipment for a meeting. They were walking and tripped over a speaker on the ground. The employee sustained a leg injury.