Struck by dislodged flying object, particle · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Improved Piping Products, 5040 Space Center Drive, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78218
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee had activated a vertical turret lathe when the table began rotating and the horizontal cutting tool moved toward an unsecured pipe fitting. When the cutting tool contacted the unsecured fitting, it caused the fitting to jump off the table and strike the employee's right hand, fracturing and lacerating the right thumb. Part of the employee's thumb had to be medically amputated.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 332919)
An employee was troubleshooting a shell core machine that had failed to raise the sand hopper into place for core making. The employee went to manipulate a switch and the machine cycled. The employee s left middle fingertip was caught between the roller-ball switch and the roller-ball switch target, resulting in a laceration that required surgical amputation to part of the distal phalanx.
On August 18, 2025, at approximately 7:40 AM, an employee utilized a pocket knife to cut banding on a new bundle of rod material. The knife blade bent during use. The employee was working to straighten the blade on a hard surface when the knife slipped, causing a lacerating their right wrist/forearm. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was manually pulling drive belts to rotate a machine that needed repair. The employee's right index finger was pinched between a rubber drive belt and a pulley, causing an amputation to the fingertip.
At about 9:15 a.m. on May 14, 2025, an employee was using a bending press to bend metal into a U shape. The press caused an amputation to the employee's left middle finger.
An employee was running a test pipe for 12 feet and went to pull the pipe out of a roll grooving tool. As he was doing this, the tool's control pedal actuated, causing the tool to rotate. The employee's glove became caught and was pulled into the rollset, amputating about half an inch of his index finger.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.