Entangled in other object or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at BEKAERT CORPORATION, 1881 BEKAERT DRIVE, VAN BUREN, ARKANSAS 72956
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was redrawing a steel wire to reduce the diameter using a redrawing machine. When he attempted to untangle the wire, it amputated his left pinky, ring, and middle fingers.
An employee was removing a roll (tooling) from a machine when their left little finger was pinched between the roll and the machine, resulting in a partial amputation.
On August 1, 2025, at approximately 5:05 AM, an employee was applying a label to a spool of product on a crane when the employee s arm became caught between two points of the crane. The employee was hospitalized with a degloving/avulsion injury to their right arm.
A machine operator was loading a spool of wire into a machine. The spool became stuck. When he pulled on it, the spool came loose from the hoist and fractured his thumb.
At about 7:50 a.m. on February 26, 2022, a dry draw operator was using a welder to cut a piece of wire rod. A pneumatic cutter, part of the welding machine, activated and amputated the employee's right index fingertip just below the nailbed.
An employee welded an ISC spool on a payoff to reconnect the wire. After completing this task, the employee went to the control panel and pressed the start button to begin running the machine. While the machine was running, the employee noticed a loop was in the loose wire on the payoff spool and attempted to twist the loop before the wire closed on the spool, which would have made an "eye" in the wire. This would have created a snarl and caused the machine to stop. The employee was attempting to get the loop twisted out when the wire closed down on the spool with his fingers in between. The fingers (index, middle and ring) of the right hand were pinched between the wire, resulting in a partial amputation of the index finger to the second joint, middle finger to the second joint, and ring finger to the first joint.
On November 9, 2023, an employee was removing plywood from the west face of a basement level buck hoist to prepare to dismantle one of the cabs. When the employee pulled on the plywood, it fell and pulled a rope that partially amputated the employee's thumb.
An employee was holding a rigging line and assisting in the removal of an old light pole from its base. When the load was lifted by a forklift, it shifted. The tag line lifted the employee off the ground and propelled him through the air. The employee landed on the ground and sustained back fractures.
An employee was performing maintenance on a bucket truck when his right hand became caught in some rope, causing amputations to three fingers down to the first knuckle.
An employee was conducting a fall rescue demonstration. A 165-pound demonstration dummy was released from a height, putting tension on the lanyard. The employee's left hand, little finger, and thumb were caught in the wire rope lanyard, resulting in a medical amputation of the left little finger as well as lacerations to the left thumb.
An employee was using a crank and cable to lower a light tower due to windy conditions. The light shaft became hung up and released the tension in the cable, which wrapped around the employee's left hand, resulting in amputations of three fingers.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 331222)
An employee was changing a section of pipe on a sulfuric acid tank when the pipe broke and acid splashed onto the left side of the employee's body, resulting in chemical burns to their left shoulder, the back of his arm, and his leg.
On August 1, 2025, at approximately 5:05 AM, an employee was applying a label to a spool of product on a crane when the employee s arm became caught between two points of the crane. The employee was hospitalized with a degloving/avulsion injury to their right arm.
An employee was making an adjustment to a machine when his finger got caught in the machine. He sustained a partial amputation to the fifth finger on his left hand.
An employee was working on a wire drawing machine when three fingers on their right hand were caught between the rolls with the wire intact. The employee sustained an amputation to the middle and ring fingers and was hospitalized.
An employee was working at a threader machine. A spindle caught her sweatshirt. She was pulled into the machine, which pulled off her hooded sweatshirt and pulled in her hair. She suffered a scalping and was hospitalized.
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.