Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at AMERICAN RAILCAR INDUSTRIES, 901 JONES ROAD, PARAGOULD, ARKANSAS 72450
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was manually pushing a center steel partition to align it in a railcar when his foot slipped. He reached up to the edge of the railcar to catch himself while the ram of the hydraulic radar pusher was coming down. The employee's middle and ring fingers on his right hand were caught in a pinch point, resulting in the amputation of his fingertips.
AmputationFingertip(s)Bodily motion or position of injured, ill worker
More severe injuries at AMERICAN RAILCAR INDUSTRIES
A temporary employee was operating a magnetic crane to pick up and move a 6000-pound sheet of metal when the metal fell and struck the employee's left foot, fracturing the fourth and fifth digits.
An employee was moving a shaker panel with an overhead crane. A separate shaker panel had been leaned vertically on a wooden crate along the walkway. As the employee was operating the overhead crane, the vibration caused the vertical shaker panel to fall over and strike the employee, fracturing the employee's left tibia.
An employee was between the trough and casting pit, cleaning a filter box at the end of a cast. His right foot slipped off the lid of the cast pan and went into an opening where molten aluminum goes into a trough. The employee contacted molten aluminum and sustained third degree burns to his right leg, ankle, and foot.
An employee was aloft in a tree cutting tree limbs. He was using a rope system and while repositioning, he slipped on moss that was on the tree bark and struck his knee awkwardly on the tree. The employee sustained a fractured kneecap and was hospitalized.
An employee was leaning against a fry station when his legs began to slip out from under him. He went to break his fall when his right arm entered the cooking oil. He suffered second- and third-degree burns to the arm.
An employee was unlashing (loosening chains) military vehicles on rail cars prior to offloading. As he stepped off the railcar and onto the ground, he twisted his left ankle in loose gravel alongside the rail track. He required surgery for a dislocated ankle.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 336510)
An employee was responding to a service request for a cable stripping machine that was making noise and not functioning consistently. While testing its function, the machine contacted the employee s right index fingertip, resulting in a fingertip amputation to the tuft.
An employee was using a handheld cordless electric torque wrench. The tool's reaction arm came into contact with the employee's left hand, causing an amputation to the middle finger above the first knuckle.
On August 6, 2025, an employee was preparing to weld a metal sheet that goes between containers and weighs 800 pounds. The employee was placing a two-foot wooden brace (4 by 4) under the metal, which was being raised by a crane operator using a magnet. The magnet shifted and caused the load to catch the employee's right index fingertip against the wooden brace, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was climbing up a ladder to the top of a railcar. The employee slipped and fell from the ladder, striking the coupler of the railcar during the fall. This caused the employee's body to shift, and they landed on their head/nose/face. The employee suffered broken ribs, a broken cheekbone, a broken nose, and internal bleeding.
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
On October 25, 2025, an employee was stringing up a new reel of tire tread on a machine. The employee pulled a 6-inch tail and proceeded to spool up the liner. As the machine was jogged to begin the liner wrapping process, the liner caught the employee's glove and pulled their right arm into the liner, causing a fracture to the arm.
An employee was doing a cable change on top of an electric overhead traveling (EOT) crane. They were positioned between the cable drum and the drive shaft. While rotating the cable drum, the employee reached for the new cable that was to be installed. The grease fitting on the drive shaft caught their fall harness and pulled them underneath the drive shaft. The employee was pinned between the drive shaft and two pieces of angle steel, resulting in a fracture to their left hip.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.