Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Airgas USA LLC, 150 55th Street, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11220
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was moving a liquid nitrogen round cylinder onto a special delivery cart to hook the top of the cylinder into place when a cylinder moved and caught the employee's fingers between it and the cart. The employee's right third and fourth fingertips were amputated.
An employee was filling a cylinder with a mixture of CO2 and argon gas. The cylinder ruptured and the bottom of the cylinder fractured the employee's left leg.
An employee was rolling a liquid gas cylinder from a lift gate to a gas supply room when he lost his footing and fell backwards. He reached up to regain his balance and pulled the cylinder over onto his leg, fracturing his tibia and fibula.
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 424720)
A forklift lifting device was being picked up with a forklift. The forks were lowered, causing the equipment to fall and injure an employee. The employee sustained cervical spine, facial, and jaw injuries and was hospitalized.
An employee was refilling a bottle with a cleaning solution when bleach entered the bottle and it exploded. The employee inhaled the fumes and experienced difficulty breathing and burns to her throat, resulting in hospitalization.
An employee was performing maintenance on a pump flange that was in ammonium sulfate service. The line had been blocked in and drain lines were opened. The employee was making a line break when hot sulfur water (150-180 degrees) sprayed out. The employee sustained thermal burns to their chest, back, arm, and stomach.
An employee was measuring the level in a storage tank using a handheld tape gauge. When he stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He was hospitalized, having suffered a lower back strain.
An employee was operating a battery-powered broom to clean demolition debris off the top of the outermost bridge girder. The girder was approximately 11 feet above the demolition scaffold below. The employee fell approximately 8 feet to wind bracing below. The employee was hospitalized with a pelvis/tailbone fracture. Fall protection was in place at the time.
An employee slipped while descending in a stairwell, fell, and suffered multiple contusions/bruises to the head, neck, shoulders, knees, and back. She was hospitalized.
An employee was directing trucks as they entered and left a highway work zone. A vehicle struck them, resulting in multiple fractures and other injuries. The employee was hospitalized.