Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Kanza Cooperative Association, 200 N Main St, IUKA, KANSAS 67066
on — Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury, affecting the back, including spine, spinal cord, unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was using a case floater to spread dry fertilizer on a farmer's field when he came over a hill and hit a washout. He injured his back and required hospitalization.
HospitalizedBack, including spine, spinal cord, unspecifiedSpreading machinery-agricultural
An employee was driving an aerial lift over a cable ramp. The employee backed up the aerial lift to cross over the cable ramp. During this process, the lift and basket bounced, causing the employee to bounce and land on his right foot, resulting in a fracture to his right leg.
An employee was operating a tractor in a potato field to pack down the soil. As the tractor tires drove over uneven soil, the tractor suspension moved abruptly, causing the enclosed operator seat compartment to also move. The employee was ejected from the seat and struck their head, arm and ribs inside the tractor compartment. The employee sustained a head and arm laceration as well as rib fractures.
An employee was operating an aerial lift when it impacted a berm on the ground. The employee lost balance and struck his abdomen against the guardrail system on the aerial lift, then fell backward and struck his head against the guardrail. The employee sustained a punctured spleen.
An employee was operating a skid steer with dirt in the bucket. The skid steer drove over uneven ground, causing the bucket to tilt forward and hit the ground. As a result, the employee's head struck the bar on the front top part of the cab. The employee sustained a compression injury to the neck and upper back that included two injured vertebral discs that required surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 424510)
An employee was preparing to unjam an auger shaft while standing on a forklift-elevated, job-made platform. The employee's wrench slipped off the equipment, causing them to lose their balance and fall. The employee landed on the ground 14 feet below and suffered fractures to the orbital bone, left elbow, and lower back.
An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.
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.
An employee had been cleaning a grain bin. He walked across the bin and his left foot contacted an unguarded floor auger, resulting in severe lacerations to the foot. The auger was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
On September 23, 2025, an employee was monitoring a feed roller when they tripped and their right hand contacted the roller. The employee was hospitalized and their right hand was amputated at the wrist.
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.