Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Knit-Rite, Inc., 120 Osage Avenue, KANSAS CITY, KANSAS 66105
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was changing the yarn on a flat bed knitting machine when his body hit the start-up bar, causing the carriage to quickly move and amputate his left thumb.
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 313312)
Two employees were working on a scissor lift approximately 15-20 feet above the ground, positioned beside a larger production line with a moving trolley. As the trolly retracted, its external motor struck the basket of the lift, causing the lift to tip over. The injured employee and the lift fell to the ground and they suffered a laceration to the right knee that required hospitalization.
An employee was working in a storage area consolidating pallets of yarn when his shoelace got caught on the corner of a pallet. The employee lost his balance and fell to the floor, resulting in a right femur fracture in the hip area.
An employee was helping to unclog a packaging machine when their fingers got caught in the machine, resulting in partial amputations to the index, middle, and ring fingers on the right hand. The machine was energized at the time.
On January 15, 2020, an employee was working at a welding machine and holding the tarp as it came out of the machine. As the machine began to cut the tarp, the employee attempted to cut the corner of the tarp with scissors. The machine's blade then contacted his finger, resulting in a partial amputation of the left fifth digit.
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.