Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Heifer Source LLC, 13750 Blue Bell Road 4, LIBERAL, KANSAS 67901
on — Fractures, affecting the pelvis.
Final narrative
Employees were moving steers from one pen to new pens. The steers were being moved through a gate opposite of the feed bunker into an alley to another pen. A group of steers was facing the employees and away from the gate. All of a sudden, one of the steers in that group put its head down and rammed an employee who was standing next to the water trough. The employee was driven backwards and into the bar of the feed bunker. The steer pushed the employee against the feed bunker with its head several times and then flipped him over into the feed bunker. The injured employee sustained multiple closed pelvic fractures with disruption of the pelvic ring. His left side/leg was also significantly affected.
An employee entered a pen in the maternity barn to bottle-feed a calf. A cow spun around and head butted the employee into the metal enclosure fence three times. The employee sustained a punctured liver.
An employee was moving cattle when they were rammed by a cow. The employee sustained fractures to their L2 and L5 vertebrae, left sacral wing, and pelvis. They also suffered internal hemorrhaging in the abdominal.
An employee was loading hogs onto a trailer. After they were loaded, he was pinning the gate when one of the hogs charged and pinned the employee between the gate and the wall. The employee sustained a collapsed lung.
An employee was moving cattle from a pen to a tub when a bull got around the cattle guard. The employee climbed over the cattle guard to move away from the bull and the bull struck his arm, resulting in a fracture.
An employee was on horseback in a pasture checking on the health of calves. The employee roped a calf when their right-hand fingers got caught in the rope, resulting in amputations of three fingers at the top knuckles that required hospitalization.
An employee was riding a four-wheeler while moving cattle into another pen when they were thrown off the vehicle and landed on the ground. The employee sustained fractures to their upper arm, pelvis, and right leg.
An employee was making rounds to the barns to take care of cattle. The employee was stepping out of a van and the sliding door closed on their little finger. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
A pen rider was moving cattle and they were after an animal. When the animal changed direction, the horse also turned and then tripped and fell. The employee fell with the horse and sustained a dislocated left shoulder, a fractured right thumb, and a fracture above the eye.
An employee transferred a supplement from one tank to another and then took a step backward to begin cleaning the receiving auger. His right foot broke through the grate above the auger and slipped between the slats and into the auger. The employee was hospitalized with a compound fracture to his lower right leg and required surgery.
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.