Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Westrock CP, LLC, W180 N11900 River Lane, GERMANTOWN, WISCONSIN 53022
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was operating the waste chopper. The auger of the waste chopper is driven by two belts that are on a single wheel/sprocket; the belts and the motor that drives them are locked in a cabinet. As the employee was accessing the cabinet to retrieve a tool, his right thumb was caught in a pinch point between the belt and pulley, resulting in amputation. The machine was running at the time.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Special process machinery, n.e.c.
An employee was quality checking a cutting device on a paper machine. As he went to manually rotate the flat outer surface of the band motor, his right index finger contacted the cutting side of one of the blades, resulting in a fingertip amputation. The machine blades were guarded at the time.
An employee was loading a 9,386-pound paper roll onto a peel station. The paper rolled off the station and the employee was caught between two rolls of paper, resulting in a pelvis fracture.
While conducting maintenance, an employee was feeding wire into a baler machine. As the employee was guiding the wire, the machine started; it broke and lacerated the employee's left arm.
An employee was threading a paper winder. When the paper curled, the employee tried to straighten the paper and contacted the paper slitter, resulting in a partial amputation to their right index fingertip.
Employee 1 was replacing a bucket (480-volt breaker) while Employee 2 was observing from outside the arc flash boundary (36"). Employee 1 completed the work and was closing the door when an arc flash occurred. Employee 2 sustained first degree burns on the forehead and cheek and first and second degree burns to the hand. Employee 2 was hospitalized. Employee 1 was not injured.
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 322212)
An employee was resetting a slitter machine's counter when their left hand was crushed under two rotating score shafts. The employee sustained amputations to three fingers on their left hand.
An employee went to retrieve dunnage for a co-worker when his right hand became caught in the rollers on the box transfer conveyor. The employee sustained a partial amputation to his middle fingertip.
An employee was troubleshooting a mini-feeder. As the employee was tapping the rotating drive chain with an Allen wrench, the employee's right hand came into contact with the chain. The employee suffered partial amputations, lacerations, and fractures to the middle and ring fingers. The machine was unguarded at the time of the incident.
An employee was between two sections of a printer when they sustained amputations to three fingertips on their right hand from the running print rolls.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.