Needlestick without exposure to harmful substance · Puncture wounds, except gunshot wounds
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at SIMMONS FOODS, INC., 7597 Hwy 74, HUNTSVILLE, ARKANSAS 72740
on — Puncture wounds, except gunshot wounds, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was injecting a vaccine into chickens on a poultry farm along a conveying system and stuck the back of his left index finger with the injection apparatus.
An employee was walking from one chicken house to another when he slipped on tall, damp grass and fell to the sloped ground landing on his back and neck. The employee sustained a neck injury that required surgery.
An employee was connecting a hose to a batter mix pump to assemble the batter machine when their hand slipped and was caught in the impeller of the pump, resulting in a left index fingertip amputation.
An employee was monitoring bags as they were conveyed into the X-ray/scale sensors. The arm of the reject conveyor closed on her right arm. The employee was hospitalized with compartment syndrome of the right arm.
An employee was cleaning product debris off a grind wheel plate. As his left ring finger was in the grind wheel plate hole, it was caught between/struck by the grinder plate and the knife blades, resulting in amputation at the first knuckle.
An employee was drawing meloxicam out of a bottle and poked her thumb with the needle. The employee woke up the next day and her hand was swollen. She was hospitalized for infection and surgery.
An employee was holding a pullet while a coworker performed a vaccination when the employee was accidentally stuck in the right index finger behind the first knuckle with a quarter-inch, 18-gauge needle that was being used to administer the vaccine.
On July 23, 2025, at 8:00 a.m., an employee was power washing. He went to retrieve a power-washing tip from the machine's fan while it was in operation and the fan blade contacted his right index finger, severing it at the distal joint.
An employee was pulling two separate egg racks when the wheels of the front rack locked, causing the second rack to crush his thumb between both of the racks. The employee sustained an amputation to the tip of the right thumb.
An employee was in the pump room troubleshooting a pump. He unscrewed the top panel of the pump and inadvertently hit the toggle switch that activated the pump. The internal belt caught his right index finger, causing a laceration that resulted in a partial surgical amputation.
An employee was attaching a winch hook to a chick pallet. The winch was activated via remote control and pinched the employee's left index fingertip between the hook and pallet resulting in amputation.
An employee was repairing a water pump on a lawn mower. He replaced the water pump and thermometer and then went to test drive it. The mower started running hot, so he brought it back to the shop and opened the hood on the mower. The radiator overflowed the bottle, the lid blew off, and hot coolant sprayed the employee's face, eyes, and neck. The employee was hospitalized for burns.
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
On October 25, 2025, an employee was stringing up a new reel of tire tread on a machine. The employee pulled a 6-inch tail and proceeded to spool up the liner. As the machine was jogged to begin the liner wrapping process, the liner caught the employee's glove and pulled their right arm into the liner, causing a fracture to the arm.
An employee was doing a cable change on top of an electric overhead traveling (EOT) crane. They were positioned between the cable drum and the drive shaft. While rotating the cable drum, the employee reached for the new cable that was to be installed. The grease fitting on the drive shaft caught their fall harness and pulled them underneath the drive shaft. The employee was pinned between the drive shaft and two pieces of angle steel, resulting in a fracture to their left hip.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.