Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects, unspecified · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Plastipak Packaging, Inc., 4101 PARDUE ROAD, PINEVILLE, LOUISIANA 71360
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
At approximately 1:00 AM on November 28, 2017, an employee was backing up a poly wheel using an approximately 1-inch ratchet. As the wheel was freed, it caused the motor pulley to spin. The gears inside the ratchet then caught and pinched the employee's right pinky finger between the wrench handle and stationary conduit raceway above the area, causing an open fracture to the employee's right pinky finger that resulted in a surgical amputation at the middle knuckle.
On July 31, 2024, two employees were working to raise a base mold into its position on a blow molding machine. The injured employee lifted up on the base mold with his right hand and was holding the support when a second employee used a metal bar to lift the base into its fully-raised position. The injured employee's fingers were caught between the base support and the mold-holding unit resulting in the amputation of their right ring fingertip.
An employee was troubleshooting a loose chain on a conveyor belt when their left index finger was pulled into a sprocket and the fingertip was amputated.
On September 8, 2022, an employee was installing the top rail on a guardrail system. The employee's right index finger was pinched between the guardrail and a post, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
On June 14, 2022, an employee was adjusting the height of the work table on the box strapper. The employee loosened the bolts on the carriage and had their left hand resting in the area beneath the unit. The table dropped, resulting in distal tip amputations to their middle and ring fingers.
An employee was doing maintenance work in a tunnel under a production line. The employee fell approximately 9 feet through an open manhole, landed on the concrete level below, and suffered neck and back injuries.
An employee was changing mud cups in the hopper cylinders of a concrete pump truck. The cylinders moved and three of the employees fingers were amputated.
An employee was standing on the rig floor next to a polishing unit. His hand was placed on the polishing unit when the pump was lowered, resulting in amputation of their right thumb, ring, and middle fingertips.
An employee was using air to blow out the air wash to the blender and grinder station. As the employee reached to verify that the air wash was clean, the unit pinched and amputated their fingertip.
An employee was retrieving a lost drill pipe with a lifting bail when their left thumb got pinched between the table and handle of the lifting bail while trying to re-thread the pipe to lift it out. The employee suffered an amputation to the left thumb.
An employee was removing a core chuck from a stationary roll when their right ring finger was pinched between the chuck and the roll. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326199)
An employee was operating a drill and tap machine. He was placing a part with his right hand and removing a part coming in on the left side. He saw a part that was crooked and went to straighten it. The machine clamped down on his left index finger, degloving the top part of the finger and resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was performing maintenance on a roll cutting machine in a warehouse. The employee was removing excess grease from the bearings when the machine's chain caught their right index finger. The fingertip was amputated by the chain and sprocket.
During fiberglass work, an employee mixed a methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) catalyst with a cobalt chemical that they thought was a dye. A chemical reaction occurred, resulting in an explosion. The employee sustained second-degree burns on his back and a blister on his right arm.
An employee was walking when she tripped over a box on the ground and fell. The employee was hospitalized with a severe dislocation to the hip and leg that required surgery.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk and stubbed his toe on an elevated portion of concrete, causing him to trip and fall. The employee's right knee was dislocated.