Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Kerry Inc., 3141 W. North Avenue, MELROSE PARK, ILLINOIS 60160
on — Fractures, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was unclogging material from a flour hopper when a pneumatic gate fractured his right thumb. The gate was not locked out at the time of the incident.
HospitalizedFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Food and beverage processing machinery-specialized, n.e.c.
On September 15, 2024, an employee was clearing a piece of paper on the heat sealer in the flour bagging area when they sustained a partial amputation of their left thumb at the first knuckle.
An employee was operating the bake sealer (used to seal the product) on the line and there a change over in the process. The employee was moving the bake sealer when he slipped and his hands were caught between the moving belts of it, resulting in a partial amputation of the left little finger.
An employee was operating the chunker when dough piled up underneath the chunker. The employee started to remove the dough when his hand got caught between the belt and the cutter on the chunker. The employee sustained an amputation to the right thumb.
Two employees were working to clear a jammed screw conveyor and replace a drive belt. The injured employee's left index finger was crushed in a nip point between the belt and pulley. Approximately one-third of the employee's finger was medically amputated.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311822)
A team was disassembling a dough pump s auger to allow the wastewater to drain from an allergen changeover. The auger became stuck due to suction caused by residual wet dough. A paddle was being used to pry the auger loose when the suction force suddenly released, causing the auger to retract unexpectedly. A finger on the employee's left hand was caught between the auger and the housing, leading to an amputation to that finger.
On February 4, 2025, at approximately 6:20 PM, an employee was cleaning the dough inside a divider when they sustained an amputation to their right index fingertip.
An employee was troubleshooting a mixer on the biscuit line when their hand became caught under the machine belt, resulting in fractures and an amputation of their middle fingertip. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was operating the bake sealer (used to seal the product) on the line and there a change over in the process. The employee was moving the bake sealer when he slipped and his hands were caught between the moving belts of it, resulting in a partial amputation of the left little finger.
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.