Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CENTRAL STEEL & WIRE COMPANY, 3000 W. 51ST STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60632
on — Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury, affecting the face, unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was unbanding a load of steel that had a wooden 4x4 block in between it. The steel band snapped and the steel hit the extra length of wood, causing it to fly up and hit the employee in the face. The employee was hospitalized.
HospitalizedFace, unspecifiedDimensional lumber: 2x4, 2x3, etc.
More severe injuries at CENTRAL STEEL & WIRE COMPANY
On April 30, 2021, an employee was placing a tag onto an empty pan and was struck by a side loader. The employee was dragged several feet down the filling station and was caught between the side loader and the filling station. The employee sustained bruises, contusions, and a left knee fracture and torn meniscus. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was directing an overhead crane from the ground. The employee noticed that the load did not appear to be rigged correctly. The load was brought back down by the crane operator. The employee was re-rigging the load and moved one of the 2x2 boards when her right middle finger was caught under the load. The weight of the load amputated a 1/4 inch of her fingertip.
On April 20, 2018, at 8:30 PM, an employee was loading a truck and adjusting the load with a crane when the lifting strap came off the end of the load and crushed/fractured the employee's left hand.
An employee was driving a side loader (PIV) to retrieve steel orders when the brakes went out. The employee dismounted from the side loader and was pinned between it and a column, breaking a leg.
While turning a powered industrial vehicle (PIV) around, an employee lost control of the PIV, which then flipped on its side. He dismounted the vehicle and hit his head, suffering a laceration above the left eye and a nose fracture.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 423510)
A load of steel angles was being lowered when the lifting chain hit the load, causing it to slide toward an employee. An angle slid and pinched the employee, catching both of their legs between the beams and an angle. The employee suffered two fractured legs.
An employee was on the deck of a trailer helping a customer unload tubes. The employee was working to place a cargo strap on the remaining tubes using a winch bar when it slipped off the tubing, causing him to lose his balance and fall headfirst onto the asphalt lot below. The employee suffered a contusion on his forehead, resulting in hospitalization.
An employee and a customer were unloading two rectangular tubes. The tubes were wrapped together. The plastic wrap was cut so that one tube could be picked up. As the employee was lifting the top tube, the other tube (still connected to the top tube) came down onto his hand and broke two of his fingers. He was hospitalized.
An employee was assisting as a forklift got pipe from a pipe rack. The employee was on one of the forklift's forks as it was raised to the top of the rack, a height of about 15 feet. He fell to the ground and suffered a dislocated and fractured right elbow.
On September 23, 2025, at approximately 7:43 p.m., an employee was using a knife to cut poly banding from a metal coil. The knife slipped, causing a laceration to the inside of their left arm at the elbow joint. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery to repair a damaged vein.
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.