Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at H B Fuller Company, 4450 Malsbary Road, BLUE ASH, OHIO 45242
on — Fractures, affecting the lower leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee was working on the reactor when a chemical reaction in a tank caused a metal pump housing to burst. The employee's right leg was fractured below the knee.
An employee was troubleshooting and turning a hand valve used to provide draining to the filter basket. Molten plastic discharged from the valve into a bucket and then ricocheted onto the employee's hands. The employee was hospitalized with thermal burns to three fingers on his right hand and one finger on his left hand.
An employee was trying to transfer molten wax from a bulk container. During troubleshooting, a cap was removed from the line and the wax sprayed on the employee's right hand and forearm resulting in burns.
An employee was examining a tank of hot resin when the mixer turned on and hot resin overflowed onto the employee's arms. The employee was hospitalized for first degree burns to both arms.
An employee was sitting in the cab of the truck while waste oxidizer was being offloaded. The waste reacted with the receiving tank and an explosion occurred in the tank. Fire traveled through the hose to the tanker truck, causing it to explode. The employee jumped from the burning truck and was hospitalized with burns to his face, chest, and arms.
An employee was installing piping and valves for fire protection systems in the vicinity of an electrical meter outside of a new warehouse. The meter exploded, causing burns to the employee's face and arms.
An employee was pouring molten aluminum into a drain pot. The aluminum touched moisture at the bottom of the drain pot and an explosion occurred. The employee sustained burns to their face, hands, and legs.
An employee was operating an oxygen-deficient oven that required manual ignition to make charcoal from wood. As the oven was opened, oxygen was introduced to the environment, resulting in an explosion. The employee sustained head trauma as well as fractures to the arms and legs.
An employee was setting up the electrical parts for a fireworks display. They were inserting an e-match when it generated friction with something else. A 3-inch firework shell ignited, injuring the employee's hand and head.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 325520)
An employee was rolling up sheets of sealant using a rotating mandrel when her right hand was caught in the mandrel. Her right arm was pulled into the roll of material. The employee was hospitalized with three fractures to her right arm.
An employee worked a full shift and later started cramping up due to exposure to heat and high humidity. The employee was hospitalized with heat exhaustion.
At 2:05 p.m., the injured employee was shadowing another operator. They went into the aerosol gashouse as part of training. As they entered, the self-closing overhead door shut while the injured employee's right hand was still on the edge. The employee's little fingertip was caught and partially amputated between the door and the frame.
An employee fell from the top of a fixed ladder, passing through the ladder's access opening and landing on the floor about 6-7 feet below. He suffered nine broken ribs (four on the left side and five on the right), as well as a punctured lung. He was hospitalized.
On April 8, 2025, an employee was unjamming a conveyor belt. It reactivated, and his right little finger was caught between the belt and a conveyor roller. He suffered a partial amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was working to deliver mail to an apartment building. She was waiting for a customer to move, to obtain clearance to the mailboxes. The door swung inward and closed on her right little finger. The top half of her finger was surgically amputated.
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
An employee was setting up communication equipment for a meeting. They were walking and tripped over a speaker on the ground. The employee sustained a leg injury.