Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Frito-Lay, 4236 SW Kirklawn Ave., TOPEKA, KANSAS 66609
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was helping a coworker clean an area when she noticed an airlock was clogged up. As she attempted to unclog it, the paddle inside the airlock amputated three of her right-hand fingers.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Special process machinery, unspecified
An employee was unloading a truck. While walking out of the truck onto a loading dock, the employee tripped on a dock plate and fell forward into the facility, landing on their elbows. The employee suffered a broken left elbow.
An employee was working in the palletizing area, inspecting a right angle gear box when his left index finger was amputated at the middle knuckle by the timing belt of the gear box.
An employee was reaching down to grab a bag of chips to place it on the infeed conveyor for packing. The employee's hand contacted the edge of the conveyor and was pinched between the conveyor and the frame, resulting in an amputation to the right middle finger.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift to pick up waste. The forklift was about to strike a bollard and the employee jumped off the vehicle. Her foot was then caught under the forklift s front tires, resulting in a fractured left heel.
An employee was trying to unjam boxes on a pick belt conveyor in a warehouse. The conveyor amputated the employee's left ring and little fingers at the first knuckle.
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 311919)
While attending the slab line, an employee observed that dough was accumulating on the plastic blades. He proceeded to clean the blades. His left index finger came into contact with an adjacent blade that moves laterally (left to right), resulting in a partial amputation.
A sanitation employee entered the chemical room and slipped on the wet floor. When he slipped, he kicked over a bucket containing cleaning chemicals. The chemicals splashed onto the employee's clothing and burned his skin.
An employee's right middle fingertip was caught between a chain and a sprocket in a machine. The fingertip was amputated. The machine was unguarded at the time.
An employee had just finished unloading material from a truck. He was descending using the truck's built-in ladder when he missed the last rung, fell to the ground, and broke his hip and left wrist.
An employee was using a handheld grinder to cut a bolt. The grinding wheel broke apart and a fragment struck the employee s right hand, causing a laceration to the palm near the little finger.
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.