Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Highway Steel, Inc., 211 EAST MAIN STREET, CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS 60411
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Watch Highway Steel, Inc. — freeGet an email when a new federal OSHA severe-injury report for Highway Steel, Inc. is published. One employer, no account, unsubscribe in one click.
Final narrative
An employee was removing debris from a piece of equipment. He hit the stop button. While reaching for the debris, he activated a proximity sensor.
The sensor in turn activated a solenoid, which activated the cylinder. This caused the die set to come down and crush/amputate his right index finger.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Metal, woodworking, and special material machinery, unspecified
An employee was attempting to unjam a punch press when it was activated via the foot pedal, causing the press to injure the employee's left hand. The employee suffered a left index finger amputation and crushed left ring finger. The press was unguarded at the time of the incident.
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 423510)
A load of steel angles was being lowered when the lifting chain hit the load, causing it to slide toward an employee. An angle slid and pinched the employee, catching both of their legs between the beams and an angle. The employee suffered two fractured legs.
An employee was on the deck of a trailer helping a customer unload tubes. The employee was working to place a cargo strap on the remaining tubes using a winch bar when it slipped off the tubing, causing him to lose his balance and fall headfirst onto the asphalt lot below. The employee suffered a contusion on his forehead, resulting in hospitalization.
An employee and a customer were unloading two rectangular tubes. The tubes were wrapped together. The plastic wrap was cut so that one tube could be picked up. As the employee was lifting the top tube, the other tube (still connected to the top tube) came down onto his hand and broke two of his fingers. He was hospitalized.
An employee was assisting as a forklift got pipe from a pipe rack. The employee was on one of the forklift's forks as it was raised to the top of the rack, a height of about 15 feet. He fell to the ground and suffered a dislocated and fractured right elbow.
On September 23, 2025, at approximately 7:43 p.m., an employee was using a knife to cut poly banding from a metal coil. The knife slipped, causing a laceration to the inside of their left arm at the elbow joint. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery to repair a damaged vein.
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.