Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at BASF Corporation, 141 Engelhard Rd., ATTAPULGUS, GEORGIA 39815
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was using a laser to align two pulleys. As he moved from being on one knee to standing, he placed his left hand on a free-wheeling V-belt near the pulley. The belt moved and pinched his finger in an upper nip point at the pulley, resulting in a partial amputation of the left index finger.
An employee was troubleshooting a plug in the super-absorbent polymer line. The employee opened an inspection port and their right hand was caught in a rotary valve, resulting in the amputation of four fingers between the knuckle and the first joint.
An employee was working with a chemical solution when they were sprayed in the face and eyes by a solution of highly concentrated palladium nitrate. The employee sustained injuries to their face and eyes.
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 325110)
An employee was applying pressure to a tank car loaded with caustic soda solution for post-load leak testing. He twisted the valve plug to check it for leaks when it broke free, releasing the caustic soda solution through the opening. The employee suffered chemical burns to both eyes and to his respiratory tract.
Employees were setting up an 8-inch sewer PVC pipe line. An employee was removing/rolling a scrap PVC pipe off the conveyor when their little fingertip was crushed between the end of the PVC pipe and the post for the overhead bus stop guard (fixed guard). The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was walking by an equipment battery (tank battery) when a leak occurred around a heater that caused a flash fire. He was wearing flame-resistant clothing and sustained burns to his palms and back.
Two employees were removing a recirculation pump from service at an evaporator. They were disconnecting pump flanges and couplings from the motor when boiling water burst out from the system. Both employees sustained second-degree burns to the chest, stomach, and arms.
On December 9, 2024, an employee was cleaning out a mixtruder. While he was retrieving some residual pieces of silicone left inside, its rotating blades caught the fingers of his right hand resulting in amputation of all four fingers. The thumb was left intact.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.