Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at SHAW INDUSTRIES GROUP, INC., 169 Benjamin H Hill Dr SE, FITZGERALD, GEORGIA 31750
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was removing excess yarn from a yarn package (a roll of yarn) inside a cabling machine. He held the excess yarn in his right hand, and as he put it back into the machine, the yarn became caught on the pre-seed roller. The roller then pulled the yarn around and partially amputated his fifth digit (pinky finger).
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), unspecifiedTextile, apparel, leather production machinery, n.e.c.
More severe injuries at SHAW INDUSTRIES GROUP, INC.
An employee was operating a standup forklift and following a training mentor that was operating another lift truck. The vehicle in front stopped and as the employee went to move out of the way, their left foot was crushed against the stopped forklift.
An employee was troubleshooting equipment when their hand was caught on the belt and their arm was pulled in, up to the forearm. The employee was hospitalized with lacerations and steam burns to their arm(s).
An employee entered a trailer to finalize the load for shipment. After placing the final product, a 5-gallon pail, on the floor and inspecting other items, they turned to exit the trailer. The employee misstepped and fell, striking their torso and head on the trailer floor. The employee sustained rib fractures, a collapsed lung, and a head laceration.
An employee was working on a piece of equipment that cuts rolled finished goods. As the rolled product conveyed down the line, the employee placed the customer's shipping document into the inner core tube. As the employee was withdrawing his right hand, it was pinched between the roll's core and the frame of the equipment, resulting amputation of the ring fingertip.
On February 3, 2023, an employee was placing and adjusting dock plates when his finger was caught on a case of yarn. This prevented the dock plate from extending properly into the trailer, and it pinched and fractured three of the employee's fingers. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
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 314110)
On September 10, 2025, an employee was working to fix a slipping carpet on a conveyor. He went to lift the carpet and put it back on the top rail when the conveyor belt caught his right hand and a roller subsequently caught his arm. The employee was hospitalized with a broken forearm.
On July 31, 2025, two employees were walking near a friction wash tank when a rubber gasket on top of the tank blew. Hot water mixed with 50% caustic chemical sprayed out and rained down on the employees. Both employees were brought to an emergency shower and were neutralized with vinegar. One employee was hospitalized with chemical and thermal burns to their upper back and eyes.
On May 27, 2025, an employee had been sweeping the floor around the sort and grind line conveyor. She was wiping down the frame of the conveyor when her right arm was drawn up between the conveyor belt and the snub roller underneath the conveyor. She sustained fractures to her upper and lower arm.
On January 29, 2025, an employee was operating an extrusion machine. He put a broken piece of yarn on the secondary roller and his glove was pulled into the nip rollers. The employee's left little fingertip was partially amputated.
On December 20, 2024, an employee was preparing to remove the access panel for the rotary valve gear box underneath a washer in polymerization. When he began loosening the bolts from the rotary lock cover, hot water and steam pressure released and caused second-degree burns to the employees stomach, both thighs, and the left calf area.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.