Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Plastipak Packaging, Inc, 1700 Western Dr, WEST CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60185
on — Fractures, affecting the head and neck.
Final narrative
An employee was injured while operating a plastic bottle palletizer. The employee was caught in the moving components of the machine and suffered skull, neck, and jaw fractures.
On July 31, 2024, two employees were working to raise a base mold into its position on a blow molding machine. The injured employee lifted up on the base mold with his right hand and was holding the support when a second employee used a metal bar to lift the base into its fully-raised position. The injured employee's fingers were caught between the base support and the mold-holding unit resulting in the amputation of their right ring fingertip.
An employee was troubleshooting a loose chain on a conveyor belt when their left index finger was pulled into a sprocket and the fingertip was amputated.
On September 8, 2022, an employee was installing the top rail on a guardrail system. The employee's right index finger was pinched between the guardrail and a post, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
On June 14, 2022, an employee was adjusting the height of the work table on the box strapper. The employee loosened the bolts on the carriage and had their left hand resting in the area beneath the unit. The table dropped, resulting in distal tip amputations to their middle and ring fingers.
An employee was doing maintenance work in a tunnel under a production line. The employee fell approximately 9 feet through an open manhole, landed on the concrete level below, and suffered neck and back injuries.
An employee was sharpening peeler blades when their shirt was caught in the grinding wheel. The employee sustained tendon damage and a crushed right hand.
An employee was preparing to cut lumber on a panel saw when the clamp engaged and caught the employee's left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326160)
An employee was watching as a technician worked with a machine. The machine's parts were manually moved while the employee's hand was inside the machine, and his fingertip was amputated. The incident took place during a training activity.
On October 14, 2025, an employee was on a step platform showing another employee the support bracket for a blow pin assembly on a blow molding machine that needed repaired. The blow pin assembly came up and pinched the injured employee's right middle finger, resulting in a broken finger and a laceration to the top of the hand.
On August 22, 2025, an employee was helping to move a 700-pound compressor cylinder cap head into position to slide down the bolt holes onto the bottom half of the cylinder. When a bolt hole aligned, his left index fingertip was caught in it. The cap came down and amputated the fingertip.
A maintenance employee was working on a conveyor when his thumb was caught in the chain/sprocket area causing an amputation to the thumb tip. The machine was running at the time of the incident.
On March 20, 2025, at approximately 11:02 AM, an employee was shrink wrapping a pallet when he lost his balance and fell to ground. The employee sustained a hip and leg injury that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.