Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at SPEARS MANUFACTURING, 1609 CR 1900, CANEY, KANSAS 67333
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was moving a toolbox on wheels to set up for his shift. It struck a stationary toolbox and the two handles were close enough in height that the employee's left middle finger was pinched off between the two handles. As part of the surgical repair the distal phalange was removed in order to accommodate the formation of a dermal flap.
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 326122)
Employees were hooking up a new reel of pipe to be processed into shorter lengths. This process involved routing a winch cable through a haul-off and attaching it to the pipe using a clamp. One employee held the winch cable while another pressed the feed-out button to loosen the cable. The cable tightened and pulled the hand of the employee holding it into a pulley. The employee's right index and middle fingertips were amputated at the first knuckle.
On 8/22/2025, an employee was working to clear a grinder jam. The employee was using a "no-touch tool" to rotate the drum of the grinder. He slipped forward and his right hand contacted a pinch point between the backside of the blade and the grinder housing. The employee's right middle fingertip was partially amputated with bone loss.
At about 1:25 a.m. on August 14, 2025, an employee was operating a 10-inch band saw at a molding machine. The employee was working to cut the sprue off a PVC fitting. The blade snagged on the sprue and pulled his left index finger into the blade, which cut it. The finger was partially medically amputated.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.