Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at ASARCO HAYDEN SMELTER, ROUTE 177 AND ASARCO RD., HAYDEN, ARIZONA 85235
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was troubleshooting a feeder's conveyor belt pulley, which was not moving. He was checking the belt's tension when it started to move, catching his right index finger and resulting in an amputation of the first digit. The feeder was not locked out and was unguarded at the time of the incident.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Metal, woodworking, and special material machinery, unspecified
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 331411)
An employee was changing an anode mold. The employee's right hand was caught in a pinch point when a forklift raised the hot anode mold. The employee received second and third degree burns on the right hand.
At about 12:40 p.m. on December 5, 2018, two employees were rolling a starter on a compressor that involved inserting a large breaker into a switchgear. An arc flash burned both employees, and both were hospitalized.
An employee was moving a 1,000-pound coil of metal using a floor crane when the coil fell off the crane and landed on the employee's lower legs, contusing/crushing them from the knees to the ankles.
An employee was making routine rounds at the plant when a power outage occurred causing a fan to fail. The employee was overcome by sulfur dioxide. The employee did not have a respirator at the time of the incident.
On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.
At about 5:55 p.m. on August 9, 2025, an employee lost his footing while climbing an access ladder to a 12-foot-high spotlight platform. He fell about 9 feet to the ground, breaking eight ribs on the right side.
An employee was completing an annual work capacity test. Later that night, the employee experienced severe pain in their left leg and was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis and compartment syndrome in the lower left leg.
An employee was setting chains to secure a concrete barrier to a front-end loader. The chain became twisted and lost slack. The concrete barricade fell on the employee's left foot, causing a partial amputation to a toe.