Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at HOOVER TREATED WOOD PRODUCTS, INC., 1742 WARRINGTON RD., THOMSON, GEORGIA 30824
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was emptying trash from a small collection unit (hopper) into a much larger collection unit (roll-off dumpster). This required the employee to stage the hopper up and over the roll-off dumpster with a forklift and then dismount the forklift to manually pull a mechanical lever that releases the hopper vault and dumps the hopper contents into the roll-off. The employee grabbed the releasing handle with his right hand and placed his left-hand fingers on the bottom cross-section of the hopper between the bottom of the forklift fork and the hopper frame. When he released the hopper vault, the hopper frame sprang suddenly and violently upwards until it stopped by the bottom of the fork and created a pinch point. The employee's left-hand ring, middle, and index fingertips were caught and amputated in the pinch point.
AmputationFingertip(s)Tanks, bins, vats-nonconfined space
More severe injuries at HOOVER TREATED WOOD PRODUCTS, INC.
An employee had been warming his hands at a stationary heater near the stacker operator. He was by the rear passenger-side of his parked forklift when another forklift reversed and struck him. His left leg was pinned between the two forklifts and he sustained a fractured fibula.
An employee was operating a forklift and unloading a truck. After the truck was unloaded, the employee got off the forklift and proceeded to adjust the dock plate with a hook tool. The dock plate slipped and the employee went to adjust the plate with their hand when their left middle finger got caught. Their finger was amputated above the first joint.
An employee was rotating a carbide granulator blade when his finger was caught between the blade and a stationary part of the machine. The employee's right middle finger was partially amputated and they suffered an avulsion to the right ring fingertip.
An employee was using a CNC metal lathe machine in manual mode to check that the thread blocking tool made contact with the jaws. As the employee was manually spinning the spindle, his index fingertip was crushed between the spindle's jaws and the grooving insert, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
During a material handling operation, an employee's fingertip was caught under an air conditioning unit as the unit was lowered onto a cart. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
An employee was removing a bolt from a tractor hub when their right index finger was caught between the hub and the frame. The employee's fingertip was crushed and the employee was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 321114)
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On June 10, 2024, an employee was grinding mulch in a tub grinder. A front end loader was unloading mulch into the tub grinder and ran over his ankle, breaking it and also causing a hairline fracture to his pelvis. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
On January 17, 2024, an employee was working on a roller machine when a piece of metal lacerated their right forearm, causing tendon injury. The employee was hospitalized and underwent surgery.
An employee had been warming his hands at a stationary heater near the stacker operator. He was by the rear passenger-side of his parked forklift when another forklift reversed and struck him. His left leg was pinned between the two forklifts and he sustained a fractured fibula.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.