Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Plastics Color Corporation , 14201 Paxton Avenue, CALUMET CITY, ILLINOIS 60409
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
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Final narrative
On May 4, 2016, at approximately 2:30 pm, an employee noticed that the (powders) raw materials were not going down easily through the mixing chamber (approximately 165 cubic inches) of an extrusion machine fitted with a rotating shaft "rotor" with a maximum speed of 100/500 rpm's. He attempted to clear out the material from the mixing chamber with a putty knife at different speeds (controlled/adjusted by the employee himself) beginning at 460 rpm, then down to 120 rpm, and then up to 130 rpm when his gloved hand (cloth) holding the putty knife was pulled in the mixing chamber. The knife was thrown out and when he pulled his hand out his right thumb and three other fingers on his right hand were amputated.
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 325991)
An employee was working to unclog a feeder that feeds raw material into an extruder to make plastic/polymer. The slide gate closed on his right hand, amputating three fingers between the first and second knuckles as well as cutting the thumb tip.
An employee was operating an overhead crane and using a hoist to lower a metal tipper bin. The tipper lowered onto their right hand, crushing their right thumb and resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was unclogging a granulator when the rotor pulled his fingers in. His left index, middle, and ring fingers, as well as his right thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers were amputated. The employee was hospitalized. The machine was not guarded at the time.
On March 3, 2025, two employees were working on a blender. The injured employee was removing contaminated pellets from the blender. Another employee went to elevate a tilter that was feeding the blender when the blender auger activated and crushed the injured employee's left leg. The employee's leg was medically amputated 4" - 6" below the knee. The machine was guarded at the time.
An employee was performing maintenance on a pelletizer. When they rotated the drum, their left index finger became caught between the pelletizer blades and the bed, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
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.