Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Avulsions, enucleations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Smithfield Farmland, Corp., 1220 N. SIXTH ST., MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS 61462
on — Avulsions, enucleations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
On December 10, 2015, around 3:15 pm, an employee walked from his work station to a work area where a co-worker was using hot water to wash a tooth roller while it was running. To warm up his hands, the injured employee put his hands under the hot water poured by his co-worker and the moving roller caught his glove, pinching a finger. He was admitted to the hospital for an avulsion injury on the right index finger.
HospitalizedFinger(s), fingernail(s), unspecifiedFood and beverage processing machinery-specialized, n.e.c.
More severe injuries at Smithfield Farmland, Corp.
An employee was moving a trolley to the index lifter. The index lifter actuated and crushed his right thumb, resulting in a laceration that required hospitalization and surgery.
At about 5:20 p.m. on September 26, 2020, an employee was on a table about 2 1/2 feet high, checking for a blockage in a metal chute that deposited sirloin onto an overhead conveyor. The employee fell, and their right little finger became lodged between the chute and a metal shield used to prevent product from falling off the conveyor. The fingertip was amputated at the last joint.
At about 2:50 p.m. on May 20, 2020, an employee was loading broth from a holding tank into a tanker trailer in an animal feed department. As the trailer became full, the employee began to remove the load hose from the trailer connection and was sprayed by the broth, suffering burns to the right arm, the torso, and the right side of the face. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was pushing a loaded cart into the oven and struck the oven. His left ring finger was pinched between the cart and a tray that had shifted after he had struck the oven causing a fingertip amputation.
An employee was lubricating a shaft on a drum machine when the drum released onto the shaft, crushing and fracturing the employee's right index finger. The employee was hospitalized and had surgery.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311611)
An employee was scraping dried glue from the top lid of a hot glue pot. His left hand slipped and came into contact with the hot glue. He then suffered burns to his hands and fingers as he tried to remove the glue. He was hospitalized.
An employee was in a scissor lift approximately 20 feet above the ground to place a plastic tarp on a catwalk in order to catch condensation. They positioned the lift opposite the work area and stepped out of the scissor lift onto an I-beam. The employee fell from the I-beam to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a skull fracture on the right side of their head and injuries to the chest and both eyes.
A maintenance employee was called to look at a pallet conveyor machine where a chain had fallen off a sprocket wheel. When the employee grabbed the loose chain, a light sensor caused the machine to restart. This created a pinch point between the chain and sprocket that caught the employee's left little finger. The finger was surgically amputated at the second knuckle.
The injured employee was standing by one of the stationary computers along the wall. There was a half-pallet located approximately 3 feet behind the employee that consisted of 12-pound boxes stacked six boxes high. A forklift was transporting a pallet that came in contact with the stationary pallet behind the injured employee, causing four boxes to fall and contact their legs. The injured employee was hospitalized with leg injuries.
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