Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Special Metals, 3200 Riverside Drive, HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA 25705
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
On August 28, 2015, at approximately 6:45pm, while performing maintenance on a machine, another employee activated the machine after receiving verbal confirmation from the mechanic to go ahead. The maintenance mechanic suffered the amputation of his left thumb after it was pinched between a table and material near the entry end of the cap line.
On July 28, 2016, at approximately 10:00 p.m., an employee was on a locomotive that struck a metal plate next to a rail, causing the plate to flip up and strike the employee on the leg. He suffered a fracture to the left ankle area.
An employee was operating a forklift and unloading a truck. After the truck was unloaded, the employee got off the forklift and proceeded to adjust the dock plate with a hook tool. The dock plate slipped and the employee went to adjust the plate with their hand when their left middle finger got caught. Their finger was amputated above the first joint.
An employee was rotating a carbide granulator blade when his finger was caught between the blade and a stationary part of the machine. The employee's right middle finger was partially amputated and they suffered an avulsion to the right ring fingertip.
An employee was using a CNC metal lathe machine in manual mode to check that the thread blocking tool made contact with the jaws. As the employee was manually spinning the spindle, his index fingertip was crushed between the spindle's jaws and the grooving insert, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
During a material handling operation, an employee's fingertip was caught under an air conditioning unit as the unit was lowered onto a cart. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
An employee was removing a bolt from a tractor hub when their right index finger was caught between the hub and the frame. The employee's fingertip was crushed and the employee was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 331491)
An employee was cutting a metal square on a hydraulic shear when his left hand got caught between the metal and the shear block. The employee's middle finger was amputated.
An employee was uncoupling railcars while the cars were in motion and a car ran over her left lower leg, resulting in crush injuries and amputation below the knee. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was working to remove a piece of wood that was jamming a transfer conveyor at the shredder. He used a tool to clear the jam, then reached to grab the wood. His sleeve got caught in the conveyor and his right arm was pulled into the pulley. The employee was hospitalized with an open fracture and a crush injury/laceration to his right forearm. The machine was running at the time.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.