Contact with hot objects or substances · Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Cooper Tire Rubber Company , 3500 Washington St. , TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS 71854
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
An employee was troubleshooting a press due to its unloader fingers not extending. He was standing on the press exit conveyor and platen edge. When he moved the wires on the unloader, the unloader moved in and down. The movement caused him to trip and fall down onto the platen, where he was pinned by the unloader and suffered burns.
An employee was pushing an empty metal skid onto a skid conveyor. His right index finger was pinched between the skid and the skid holder, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was working underneath a creel calender machine, using a tool to straighten/comb wires as they enter the creel. The employee's tool contacted a pressure roller and was pulled into a pinch point along with the employee's right hand resulting in amputations to the right thumb tip, and two other fingertips.
An employee was driving a tugger, connected to a full tread cart, down an aisle. The front right corner of the cart contacted the blunt end of a guardrail. The tugger turned sharply and stopped, causing the employee to fall off and strike his face on the guardrail. He suffered fractures to the cheek and around the eye.
An employee reached to grab rubber in a conveyor belt and their arm was caught in the belt, resulting in a fractured forearm and a right index finger injury.
An employee was removing a piece of rubber from a transfer belt when the employee's right arm was caught in the conveyor, fracturing the right forearm.
An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.
An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.
An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.
An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 423130)
An employee was rolling a rear tire for a tractor to a customer's building. The tire started to tip and the employee went to stop it by stepping into the middle of the tire. The edge of the tire struck his head and knocked him to the ground and the tire landed on his head. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured and dislocated left hip that required surgery and a scalp laceration.
An employee was pulling a metal skid off a stack to place the skid on the floor. The weight of the skid shifted and the edge caught the employee's right middle finger, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was operating an order picker in a warehouse. While backing down an aisle, the employee struck a 60-inch-by-60-inch pallet being lifted by another order picker. The employee suffered a tear to the cartilage surrounding their hip.
At about 1:25 p.m. on August 7, 2024, a temporary employee was operating a foam ring cutter when its pin broke, causing the head to fall and hit his left hand. He suffered a partial amputation to the ring finger, as well as a laceration and nail damage to the middle finger.
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.