Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Crushing injuries
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at KOMATSU AMERICA CORP., 2300 N.E. ADAMS ST., PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61639
on — Crushing injuries, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
On July 3, 2017, at approximately 7:10 AM, in the welding area, an employee was pushing his toolbox to the desired work area. At the time the employee was pushing his tool box there was a prybar sticking out beyond the side of the toolbox. The employee ran into a crane rail structure, crushing the employee's left pinky and ring fingers.
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 333131)
An employee was standing at the rear of a machine and the machine's mesh tray fell down onto the rear of the machine, crushing his left hand against the read lift. The employee sustained fractures and a laceration to their left hand and was hospitalized.
The injured employee was assisting with tightening down 3/4" hardware during assembly of a 6'x20' triple deck screen. Another employee was using a 1/2" cordless impact wrench to tighten down the hardware. The injured employee was using a 1-1/8" open-end wrench that slipped when the bolt was being tighten down by the impact wrench. The injured employee's right ring fingertip was caught between the open-end wrench and the side sheet of the triple deck screen. The tuft of the distal phalanx was amputated.
An employee was welding baffle plates onto a 55-gallon hydraulic tank. A flash occurred as they began to tack weld a part. The employee suffered burns to most of their face and second-degree burns on each arm, resulting in hospitalization.
On July 22, 2024, an employee was using a pressure washer to fill a mop bucket with water. The washer's hose split and soapy water was injected into the employee's right palm and index finger. The puncture wound had to be surgically cleaned.
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.