Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Highland Baking Company, Inc., 2301 Shermer Rd., NORTHBROOK, ILLINOIS 60062
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was standing alongside a conveyor placing pans on the belt when his left hand rested on a pneumatic rod that controls the tempo of production. The pneumatic rod retracted and caused an amputation to his left pinky finger. The rod was unguarded at the time of the incident.
During a changeover, an employee was wiping down the dough chunker machine and the chunker closed on his left hand. The employee sustained crushing/laceration injuries, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was sorting bread on a packing line. The employee attempted to remove bread from the gear box of the packing line when their right middle and ring fingers were caught between the sprocket and chain, resulting in two fingertip amputations.
An employee was attempting to dislodge dough from a dough-separating machine when the machine's cutting blade amputated the employee's left middle and ring fingers. The machine was running at the time.
An employee was sharpening peeler blades when their shirt was caught in the grinding wheel. The employee sustained tendon damage and a crushed right hand.
An employee was preparing to cut lumber on a panel saw when the clamp engaged and caught the employee's left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311811)
An employee was operating a stretch wrap machine in the packaging area when his little finger was caught in the machine's chain mechanism. He sustained a fracture to the tuft of the finger and was hospitalized. The machine was unguarded at the time of the incident.
On August 12, 2025, an employee was performing maintenance on a motor and suffered an amputation to the left index fingertip, as well as a laceration to the left middle finger.
An employee was performing sanitation tasks and adjusting a valve by tapping it with a rubber mallet. The valve came apart and the employee was sprayed with 180-190-degree water. He was hospitalized with thermal burns to multiple parts of the body.
An employee was cleaning ovens from a three-step ladder. The ladder slipped, causing employee to lose balance and fall to the floor, suffering a broken left leg.
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.