Contact with objects and equipment, n.e.c. · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Knife River Corp., 4815 Mullen Road, MISSOULA, MONTANA 59808
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was descending the fold down access ladder on the concrete mixer truck after spraying down the hopper. The employee's wedding ring, worn on left ring finger, was caught on a bolt associated with the ladder safety latch, located on the left side of ladder. The injured finger required medical amputation.
An employee was preparing the serving line area for the evening meal. He was cleaning a stainless steel table when his left middle finger got stuck in a gap where a raised ledge is affixed to the table. As he pulled his finger from the space, his fingertip was amputated.
An employee was unloading goods from a pallet and putting them onto metal shelves when their wedding ring got caught on a shelf and their finger was amputated.
An employee was in the back of a dump truck emptying a bag from a mower. When he placed his hand on the side of the truck and as he came down from the truck, his ring became caught. The employee sustained an amputation to his ring finger.
On May 18, 2023, a maintenance employee was descending a fixed ladder when his ring was caught on a ladder rung. The employee sustained a fracture to the left ring finger that required surgery.
An employee was unloading a pipe from a fitted rack on his truck. As the employee grabbed a pipe strap, his glove became caught. The employee then went to step off the back of the truck and the top inch of his left hand ring finger was partially amputated.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 327320)
An employee was walking through the garage and stepped on a mechanic's creeper. His feet went out from under him and he fell, sustaining a fractured right femur.
An employee was exiting a loader and coming down the ladder. His hand slipped off the railing and he fell backward onto sandy ground, landing on his side. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and a rotator cuff tear.
A concrete mixer truck driver was walking up the stairs of the slump rack. They fell from the slump rack platform and landed on the ground in the wash-out area. The employee sustained fractures to their left scapula and lower back vertebrae.
An employee backed their concrete truck into place to begin unloading it into a concrete pump unit. He exited the vehicle, and went to the rear to unload. When he began unloading, the truck rolled backward and pinned him against the pump unit. The employee sustained fractures to their pelvis, both femurs, both tibias and fibulas, and their left ankle.
A mechanic was changing out an air spring on a concrete mixer truck cab. The air spring was receiving higher air pressure than it was designed to use, because of a faulty level check valve. This increased pressure caused the air spring to burst. Its top portion separated and struck the employee's left forearm, causing a laceration and fracture. The employee was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was fixing an issue with seed cleaning equipment when he slipped on the ladder he was on. He went to catch himself and his hand went into a moving belt and pulley on the cleaner. The employee sustained the amputation of his right middle and index fingertips just below the fingernails.
An employee was riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) to move a bison herd. He was riding up the side of a steep hill when the ATV struck a rock and rolled, ejecting the employee before rolling over him. The employee suffered broken vertebrae in his back that required hospitalization.
An employee was climbing in the spreader area to remove a pasta jam when his right little finger was cut by the rotary cut-off knife. The employee sustained a laceration and fracture, resulting in an amputation.
A smoke jumper parachuted out of a helicopter during a forest fire response, landed on steep rugged terrain, and suffered femur and rib fractures and a liver laceration. The employee was hospitalized.