Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Interlake Mecalux, Inc., 701 INTERLAKE DR., PONTIAC, ILLINOIS 61764
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
A temporary employee was operating an automatic welder and attempted to clean the weld heads while the machine was still in operation. The left ring finger was amputated to the first knuckle and the left pinky fingertip was also amputated.
On August 13, 2025, an employee was feeding wire through a junction box to feed a 120-volt circuit near a 480-volt bus duct. The bus duct suddenly combusted, and the employee suffered burns to his left hand and upper body. He was hospitalized.
An employee was placing sheet metal into a roll forming machine when their finger was crushed under a clamp. The employee's left index finger was partially amputated.
An employee collected a bundle from a tower on a forklift. The employee was moving away from the falling load, resulting in a fractured pelvis and left knee.
An employee was re-installing a transmission on a roll-forming machine that processes steel coil into beams. The transmission weighed approximately 45 pounds. During the installation, the employee's right little finger got caught between the transmission and its housing. The employee suffered an amputation of approximately the first centimeter of his finger.
An employee was loading a cart with finished steel frames for a pallet rack when they noticed a frame on the cart with a loose diagonal support. The employee raised the frame up to fix it when the frame fell and caught his left ring fingertip. The employee suffered a partial amputation.
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 337215)
On August 13, 2025, an employee was feeding wire through a junction box to feed a 120-volt circuit near a 480-volt bus duct. The bus duct suddenly combusted, and the employee suffered burns to his left hand and upper body. He was hospitalized.
An employee was operating a brake press and making the final bend on a steel part. Her right middle finger got caught between the part and the top punch as it bent the part upward. The employee sustained a crush injury resulting in amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was feeding scrap metal into a chipper when his right hand was squeezed against a metal component of the machine. He suffered an amputation to the right index finger at the second joint.
On June 18, 2025, an employee working as a millwork installer was cutting shims using a circular saw. The saw hit a knot in the wood and jumped, cutting the palm of the employee's left hand and causing partial amputations to three fingers. The employee was hospitalized.
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.