Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Barry Callebaut USA, LLC, 4801 S. Lawndale Street, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60632
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning a clogged airlock system that had rotating blades in the airlock. The employee's left index finger made contact with the rotating blade, amputating his fingertip between the top of the finger and the first knuckle/joint.
HospitalizedAmputationFingertip(s)Food and beverage processing machinery-specialized, n.e.c.
An employee was attempting to unjam a cocoa shell process machine when their left hand got caught in the machine, resulting in partial amputations of the middle and ring fingers.
An employee was wrapping plastic around a pallet when they tripped over a leg of a conveyor system, fell, and hit their head on the concrete floor, resulting in hematoma. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was helping a mechanic diagnose a problem with an airlock. The mechanic had the airlock open to access the fan that was inside. The employee attempted to clear cocoa powder that was stuck in the port with his finger. The running airlock fan propeller then amputated his right index fingertip.
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 311320)
An employee was going down a ramp to a basement to assist in cleanup efforts. The ramp had been closed to vehicle traffic all day, as it was slippery. The employee was halfway down the ramp when a forklift drove onto it, then slid down the ramp and struck him. The employee suffered a spinal fracture and was hospitalized.
An employee was clearing a jam and making an adjustment to a machine using the exit wheel. Their right thumb was caught in the machine and they sustained a partial amputation to the thumb tip.
An employee was pushing a bag that was stuck in the bag sealing machine when their right thumb became caught in one of the back wheels, resulting in an amputation of the thumb tip.
An employee was getting chocolate product from the outfeed of a wrapping machine when the rotating elevator that pushes wrapped chocolate onto the outfeed ramp caught her right middle fingertip, resulting in a partial fingertip amputation. The machine was guarded and in operation at the time of the incident.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.