Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Great Lakes Polymer Technologies, LLC, 100 S. Fabpro Way, KINGMAN, KANSAS 67068
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was preparing a winder machine to start a new spool of twine. When she started the machine, it caught and damaged her right index fingertip, requiring surgical amputation.
AmputationFingertip(s)Winders, unwinders
More severe injuries at Great Lakes Polymer Technologies, LLC
A temporary employee cut back-wrapped material on an extrusion line. His left hand was caught in the material as he tried to clear it. As the material continued to rotate, the employee's left ring finger was severed, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was walking/standing and waiting for instructions on the floor next to a machine, when his right hand became entangled by the fiber and the machine. The middle finger was amputated.
An employee was changing dies when a metal guard flipped down, causing the insulator on the energized 240V (die heating element) heater wires to break. The employee suffered an electrical shock to his shoulder, lost consciousness, and then collapsed forward, hitting his head on a metal track.
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 314991)
An employee was manufacturing fiber on an extruder machine when fiber became tangled in the machine. The employee went to clear the tangle when his left middle finger became caught in the fiber. The bone was dislocated from the first knuckle, resulting in a medical amputation.
An employee was walking/standing and waiting for instructions on the floor next to a machine, when his right hand became entangled by the fiber and the machine. The middle finger was amputated.
An employee was changing dies when a metal guard flipped down, causing the insulator on the energized 240V (die heating element) heater wires to break. The employee suffered an electrical shock to his shoulder, lost consciousness, and then collapsed forward, hitting his head on a metal track.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.