MERRILL IRON & STEEL INC.

An employee was transferring paint from a high-pressure spray gun into a cup for touch-ups. While spraying paint from the spray gun, the paint pierced his skin and was injected into his left ring finger. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery to remove the paint from his finger.

An employee was removing the gear box from an out-of-service weld manipulator in a storage area. The machine was secured so the employee only had to work with the weight of the chain and machine, which weighed approximately 30 pounds. He undid the master link in order to separate the chain and lost his grip on the chain with his right hand while his left hand was removing the chain from the sprocket. The tip of his left middle finger became pinched between the chain and the sprocket, resulting in a fingertip amputation at the first knuckle.

An employee was loading a truss into a blasting rack. The employee unhooked the rigging from the top cord and placed the chains over the truss. The employee then started raising the hoist while walking. The hoist did not fully clear the rigging, and the chains snagged on one of the angles. The employee was struck by the truss. The employee sustained a laceration to the top of their head, a broken right ankle, a back fracture, and broken ribs. The employee was hospitalized.

On August 11, 2023, an employee removed rigging from a steel beam that had been attached to an overhead crane. The employee was moving the crane when the rigging caught the beam and tipped it over, striking the employee. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to the spine, sternum, and ankle.

An employee was on the CNC machine table cutting an object when they tripped over the torch hose and fell off the table to the ground. The employee sustained a left femur fracture.

An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.

An employee was straining hot water from a pot of rice when the water splashed onto them, resulting in burns to their chest, arms, shoulder, and back.

An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.

An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.

An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.

On October 21, 2025, an employee was operating a saw when a pneumatic clamp caught their right middle finger. The employee suffered a partial amputation to the finger.

An employee completed an end cut on a metal shim and started transferring the metal shim from the saw conveyor to two saw horses in the area. The employee set one end of the shim (7 feet long x 8 inches wide, weighing 218 pounds) on one of the saw horses, then slid the other end onto the other saw horse and the shim fell from the first saw horse. The employee's left index fingertip was pinched between the saw horse and the shim, resulting in a skin avulsion. The fingertip was amputated later.

An employee was using a crane to move a 44-foot, 3,343-pound I-beam. As the beam was moving west, it straightened out (north to south), beginning to swing south toward the northwest corner of a building. The crane then sent the beam southward, directly toward the corner of the building. The beam caught the tips of the employee's left index, middle, and ring fingers against the building. The last joints of the middle and ring fingers were amputated, and the last joint of the index finger was partially crushed.

An employee was moving steel beams with an overhead crane when the bundle struck a bollard and became unstable. As the employee reached to stop the material from shifting, his thumb was pinched in-between the beams, resulting in a partial amputation.

An employee was rigging a steel joist to be lifted by a crane. The joist fell and pinned the employee against the concrete ground. The employee sustained fractures to multiple ribs, his right arm, right tibia, and an open fracture to his right ankle, as well as a dislocated right hip.

An employee was readjusting a safety hook to remove hardware from gang forms when his feet slipped. He fell to the ground, resulting in a broken left arm and wrist.

An employee was on a step ladder in a store aisle, making room on shelving for merchandise. She fell from the step ladder to the floor, suffering two fractures in her left leg. She was hospitalized, requiring surgery.

An employee was closing the side cargo door to a company van. The tip of his finger got caught between the door and the door jamb, resulting in a partial amputation.

An employee lost his footing while climbing an inclined ladder. He stumbled down one step and was able to stabilize himself by holding the railing and twisting his body, but he suffered an internal abdominal injury and was hospitalized.

An employee was manipulating dies on a brake press. The press caught and crushed the employee's right forearm, resulting in hospitalization.