Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Nestle Purina, 901 Chouteau Ave, SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI 63146
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee sustained an amputation of the tip of his right middle finger while in the process of inspecting a pond filter basin. The steel door of the basin fell onto the employee's finger causing the amputation.
At approximately 6:20 AM on November 12, 2015, an employee was opening the third ball valve in a system of six to operate the plasma cutting machine. There was a failure at the pipe or the valve, and a spark ignited the gas. The employee was positioned at the compressed gas cage when this occurred, sustaining second-degree burns to his upper right chest, right arm, and left wrist.
An employee was climbing a 6' stationary ladder in order to unjam a line. He was approximately 6' high when he reached for and missed the handrail. He then lost his balance and fell backwards to the floor, hitting his arm on a conveyer and landing on his backside and knee. He complained of a sore arm and was hospitalized for surgery to the injured arm.
An employee was operating a forklift and unloading a truck. After the truck was unloaded, the employee got off the forklift and proceeded to adjust the dock plate with a hook tool. The dock plate slipped and the employee went to adjust the plate with their hand when their left middle finger got caught. Their finger was amputated above the first joint.
An employee was rotating a carbide granulator blade when his finger was caught between the blade and a stationary part of the machine. The employee's right middle finger was partially amputated and they suffered an avulsion to the right ring fingertip.
An employee was using a CNC metal lathe machine in manual mode to check that the thread blocking tool made contact with the jaws. As the employee was manually spinning the spindle, his index fingertip was crushed between the spindle's jaws and the grooving insert, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
During a material handling operation, an employee's fingertip was caught under an air conditioning unit as the unit was lowered onto a cart. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
An employee was removing a bolt from a tractor hub when their right index finger was caught between the hub and the frame. The employee's fingertip was crushed and the employee was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311111)
An employee was working to remove a spatula that got stuck in an auger at the bottom of a hopper. The employee went to remove the face plate to help release the spatula. His fingers were in the holes to pull off the face plate when the machine actuated. His right middle finger got trapped between the face plate and the inner plate, resulting in amputation.
An employee was walking in a parking lot during break when they were struck by a vehicle, resulting in fractures to their left scapula and lower right leg.
An employee bent down to turn on an air valve, lost their footing, and struck their hand on a pressure relief valve while trying to catch themselves. The employee suffered an amputation to their right index fingertip.
An employee was working on a production line, packaging chews for animals. She retrieved a fallen cap for another production line from the floor and went to put in back in the machine it had fallen from (a capper). The machine caught the tip of her left little finger, causing a fingertip amputation.
An employee was taking apart the piping to a meat pump for clean-up. He saw food debris inside the pump housing and went to remove it. The meat pump rotor caught and severed his right index and middle fingertips, resulting in partial fingertip amputations.
An employee was readjusting a safety hook to remove hardware from gang forms when his feet slipped. He fell to the ground, resulting in a broken left arm and wrist.
An employee was on a step ladder in a store aisle, making room on shelving for merchandise. She fell from the step ladder to the floor, suffering two fractures in her left leg. She was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was closing the side cargo door to a company van. The tip of his finger got caught between the door and the door jamb, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee lost his footing while climbing an inclined ladder. He stumbled down one step and was able to stabilize himself by holding the railing and twisting his body, but he suffered an internal abdominal injury and was hospitalized.