Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CONTINENTAL TIRE THE AMERICAS, LLC, 11525 NORTH IL HWY 142, MOUNT VERNON, ILLINOIS 62864
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
On 12/20/2017, at approximately 4:00 a.m., a maintenance employee was working with another employee to troubleshoot a dust collector. The second employee cycled the dust collector to spin the belt and then immediately turned it off. The first employee was attempting to slow down the belt drive when the employee's right hand was caught in the belt, amputating the ring finger at the first knuckle.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Heating, cooling, and cleaning machinery and appliances, n.e.c.
More severe injuries at CONTINENTAL TIRE THE AMERICAS, LLC
A mechanic was troubleshooting a curing press when a pneumatic check valve cracked and the machine's post-cure inflation chucks caught the employee's left hand. Four fingers on the hand were amputated.
An employee was manually lifting a steel skid weighing 300 lbs. and dropped it on his left index finger, resulting in a partial amputation. The finger was reattached.
An employee was driving a stand-up walkie/tugger when the throttle malfunctioned and he struck a support post, resulting in a fracture to his right forearm that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was attempting to remove a piece of rubber that was between the top and bottom belts of a conveyor when his right arm was pulled between the roller and the belt. The employee sustained a fracture to the forearm that required hospitalization.
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 326211)
On October 25, 2025, an employee was stringing up a new reel of tire tread on a machine. The employee pulled a 6-inch tail and proceeded to spool up the liner. As the machine was jogged to begin the liner wrapping process, the liner caught the employee's glove and pulled their right arm into the liner, causing a fracture to the arm.
An employee was adjusting a pallet on a conveyor when it came off the conveyor and struck his right ankle, breaking the tibia and fibula. The employee was hospitalized.
At 2:45 p.m., an employee was outside the plant during a break before his next shift. He was speaking with an associate when he suddenly fell from the third-level steps to the ground, striking his head on the concrete. The employee was hospitalized due to internal brain bleeding, a wound to the back of his head requiring staples, and heat-related dehydration.
Two employees were replacing a motor on an overhead conveyor. The old motor fell to the floor, causing a piece of the concrete floor to fly up and strike the injured employee in the face, around the eye. The injured employee sustained a right orbital fracture, a zygomatic arch fracture, and a sphenoid fracture. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was changing the bladder on a hydraulic press. As he lowered the bladder, his left foot was pinned between its bottom ring and the bottom mold of the press. The second toe on the foot was amputated.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.