Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Helical Solutions LLC, 29 Sanford Drive, GORHAM, MAINE 04038
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was dressing a grinding wheel with a rag when the rag became caught in the wheel. The employee's left hand was then pulled into the grinding wheel, amputating the index finger and lacerating the third, fourth, and fifth fingers.
An employee was placing a magnetic plate onto a metal table when his left index finger became caught between the plate and the table, resulting in a partial amputation to the finger.
An employee was sharpening peeler blades when their shirt was caught in the grinding wheel. The employee sustained tendon damage and a crushed right hand.
An employee was preparing to cut lumber on a panel saw when the clamp engaged and caught the employee's left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 333512)
An employee was moving an 800-pound roll from one department to the next with a crane. The tube cut the strap and the roll fell onto the employee's left foot. The foot was fractured and the employee was hospitalized.
An employee was working on an industrial lathe when the tail stock on a 17,000-pound reel spool broke and the spool dropped onto his leg, crushing it. The employee was hospitalized.
On March 20, 2020, an employee was reaching to flip a tube when their arm was caught by the chuck and lacerated. The employee was hospitalized and had surgery.
An employee was getting ready to grind a part. The lathe (rotating roll) was turned off but was still spinning when the employee's hand was pulled into a pinch point between the roll and grinding wheel, amputating a finger.
An employee was running the horizontal band saw. As the employee was pulling out the piece of cut tubing the saw blade caught the employee's glove and pulled his hand onto the cutting surface under the blade. The employee sustained the amputation of four fingers from his left hand.
A crew was installing drilled micropiles alongside an outdoor covered deck foundation. The injured employee was working the front of the drill when a loose section of casing dropped onto the tip of a rig wrench and pulled the wrench down to an embedded casing. The employee's left little finger was caught between the rig wrench and the embedded casing and was amputated above the top knuckle.
Two employees were working to change a tire on a mobile slasher saw. The slasher weighs around 2,000 pounds and is towed. Employee 2 was lifting the saw while the injured employee was placing a block of wood under the frame for support. The slasher then lowered onto the block and the injured employee's left thumb was crushed between the slasher frame and the wood block, leading to an amputation at the first knuckle.
An employee was using a crane to move a 44-foot, 3,343-pound I-beam. As the beam was moving west, it straightened out (north to south), beginning to swing south toward the northwest corner of a building. The crane then sent the beam southward, directly toward the corner of the building. The beam caught the tips of the employee's left index, middle, and ring fingers against the building. The last joints of the middle and ring fingers were amputated, and the last joint of the index finger was partially crushed.
An employee was standing on a step stool, removing the nuts and bolts from the frame of a solar panel that was being replaced. The employee's cheek made contact with a connector with damaged insulation. The employee was shocked, briefly lost consciousness, and fell to the ground, suffering an injury to the left shoulder.