Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Swanson Industries, Inc., 2608 Smithtown Road, MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA 26508
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was assembling a hydraulic cylinder and rod assembly with the gland on it for a ram car. A crane was used to support the rod while it was partially lowered into the cylinder to start the gland. As the employee was pushing down on the gland to start engagement of the threads in the cylinder some slack was left in the chain holding the rod, allowing the rod to drop and pinch his fingertips between the rod eye and the gland. When the rod dropped down into the cylinder his right index and middle fingertips were pinched off between the rod eye and the gland.
HospitalizedAmputationFingertip(s)Vehicle and mobile equipment parts, n.e.c.
On February 17, 2017, at approximately 9:45 a.m., an employee was tightening a cylinder gland into the chuck of a lathe. The employee dropped the chuck wrench, which struck the lathe engagement lever, causing the lathe to actuate and eject the part. The part struck the employee, who was hospitalized with a back strain and contusions to the stomach and chest.
On February 16, 2017, at approximately 3:05 p.m., an employee was walking through the shop when he stepped into a deep hole in the concrete floor, twisted his ankle, and fell, fracturing his left shoulder.
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 811310)
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was climbing a ladder to inspect a vent in a restaurant dining area. The ladder slid out on the floor and the employee fell approximately 12 feet onto the ladder and the floor. He was hospitalized with a dislocated shoulder and a back injury.
An employee was operating a lift truck when it struck a stationary lift truck. His left thumb was pinched between the two lift trucks, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was disassembling a pressurized unit using a driver drill. When the unit was disassembled, it caused a kickback from the tube head, causing the drill to strike the employee's left forearm. They sustained a diaphyseal fracture to their left radius and ulna, which required surgery.
After repairing a piece of industrial equipment, an employee had brake-cleaning liquid on his gloves. A lighter ignited the liquid, and the employee's hands were severely burned.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.