Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Plaskolite, LLC, 1175 5 B's Drive, ZANESVILLE, OHIO 43701
on — Amputations, affecting the hand(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
On October 7, 2017, an employee was clearing a jam from a hopper when the slide gate of a hopper closed on the employee's hand, amputating it.
An employee was pulling material from a reel while walking backward. They tripped on a pallet in the aisle and fell, sustaining fractured ribs and a punctured lung.
An employee was trying to clear debris from the bottom area of a material transfer belt feeding a grinder. As the employee used a hand rake to push/pull materials lodged between the conveyor roller and the side wall of the conveyor chute, the rake itself became caught. The employee was trying to dislodge it when their right index finger was caught and pinched between the roller and the rake. They suffered a partial amputation to the fingertip.
An employee was setting up an extrusion line and attempting to grab film when the employee strained the lower back muscles. The employee was hospitalized with a lower right-side back strain.
At approximately 4:30 a.m., on May 12, 2017, an employee was operating an extrusion line when the film caused the sheet to become stuck at the center trim saw. He went under the line and pushed the sheet up to free it. When he did this, the force of the sheet pulled his hand toward the saw, which amputated his ring and middle fingertips.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326113)
A subcontracted engineer was advising maintenance how to make a modification to the embossing roll system on a new line. Maintenance was bringing the motor and gearbox down with a crane. The load shifted when it was a few inches from the ground. The engineer went to catch/maneuver the gearbox and the fingers on his left hand were crushed between the I-beam base of the gearbox and the concrete floor. A finger was amputated.
On July 30, 2025, an employee was assisting co-workers in using a hoist to position an injection molding tool onto a work table. As the tool was being lowered, the slide section shifted, trapping and amputating the employee's right thumb tip.
An employee was manually lifting a film roll when their right middle fingertip was pinched between the roll and a metal beam, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
At about 10:00 a.m. on July 13, 2025, an employee was cleaning the adhesive from running rollers using a rag soaked in cleaning solvent to prevent contamination. The rag was caught between two rollers and pulled the employee's right hand between the rollers. The employee sustained right hand crushing injuries, de-gloving injuries (palmer and dorsal sides), and fractures. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee working on a sheet line was removing masking from the underside of plastic sheeting that was being lifted by a vacuum lift. The plastic sheet measured 4 feet wide, 14 feet long, and approximately 1 inch thick, and it weighed approximately 300 pounds. The vacuum lost suction and dropped the plastic sheet onto the employee's arm, pinning it between two sheets and resulting in a broken right forearm.
An employee was working to deliver mail to an apartment building. She was waiting for a customer to move, to obtain clearance to the mailboxes. The door swung inward and closed on her right little finger. The top half of her finger was surgically amputated.
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
An employee was setting up communication equipment for a meeting. They were walking and tripped over a speaker on the ground. The employee sustained a leg injury.