Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at A L HELMCAMP, INC., Off of Hwy 35, COTULLA, TEXAS 78014
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee suffered the amputation of the right index fingertip when his finger was caught between the bumper of a truck and a jack.
Two employees were driving a water truck pulling a trailer on the sloped shoulder within the barricade of a work zone when the truck and the trailer rolled over. One employee sustained a broken femur and was hospitalized. The second employee sustained contusions to the lower back left side and left forearm and was not hospitalized.
Two employees were standing at the tailgate of a light-duty truck completing some paperwork. The light-duty truck was approximately 25 feet away from a dump truck. The dump truck backed up and pinned the injured employee against the tailgate of the light-duty truck, resulting in broken bones in both legs, broken ribs, and bruising. The dump truck view was obstructed and there was no spotter or audible backup alarm as the dump truck backed up.
An employee was on a manlift putting down plywood forms. The plywood struck the cage and caught the employee's left middle and ring fingers between the manlift and plywood, resulting in partial amputations.
An employee was carrying natural gas pipe fittings out of a trailer. One of the fittings fell and struck the employee's right thumb as the employee tried to catch it. The thumb was amputated.
An employee was getting a crash attenuator truck set up at a road construction job site when the employee's fingers were caught between a support cable and a support structure. The employee suffered a finger amputation and broken finger.
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 237310)
An employee was operating a battery-powered broom to clean demolition debris off the top of the outermost bridge girder. The girder was approximately 11 feet above the demolition scaffold below. The employee fell approximately 8 feet to wind bracing below. The employee was hospitalized with a pelvis/tailbone fracture. Fall protection was in place at the time.
An employee was cleaning out an inlet pipe in a stormwater structure. The employee stepped back, fell into the pipe, and landed on concrete 13 feet below, at the bottom of the structure. He suffered a broken back.
A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.
An employee was operating a roller and paving a small pathway next to a pavilion. The ground was on a slight pitch, causing him to reach up toward the roll cage to stabilize himself. His right fifth finger was pinched between the roll cage and the rafter of the pavilion. The employee sustained a partial degloving injury with partial traumatic amputation.
An employee was working with paving equipment and heard a noise on the opposite side of the machine he was working on. When the machine stopped, the employee went to the opposite side and crouched down to investigate the noise. A mini track loader backed up and drove over the employee's leg. The employee sustained fractures to their lower leg, ankle, and foot.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.