Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Northrop Grumman Ammunition Plant, 25201 MO-78, INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI 64056
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was lifting a coil of metal with his forklift. The load did not settle properly so he attempted to adjust it. The load then shifted and amputated his left middle finger above the first knuckle.
An employee was cleaning out metal cup casings around a chain, sprocket, and rotating shaft during maintenance. The machine was turned on while the employee's hand was in a pinch point. The employee's fingers were caught in the machine's chain and sprocket, and the employee suffered a broken right arm and possible finger amputations.
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 332993)
An employee was working on a production line. The employee went to retrieve parts that came out of the parts holder, and their left hand became caught between a chain and a sprocket. Three fingers on the hand were amputated.
At about 2:15 p.m. on February 10, 2025, employees were unloading pallets of propellant into a storage warehouse. The pallets were double stacked, and a top-loaded pallet had shifted in transit. Two employees were manually moving the pallet when the fiber packs shifted, causing one employee's left index finger to be pinched between the fiber pack and the pallet. The employee suffered a partial amputation to the fingertip.
An employee was walking on the sidewalk near the administrative building when he slipped on ice and fell to the concrete ground. The employee suffered a left hip fracture and was hospitalized.
A CNC operator was trying to replace a bearing in the hydraulically operated steadying fixture in a CNC machine. The fixture retracted, amputating the end of his right thumb.
An employee was changing an insert in the tool head of a CNC machine. The employee had stepped up approximately 28 inches onto the door track of the machine. When the employee went to step back down to the floor, they lost balance and fell backward onto a rack of metal parts. The employee sustained a compression fracture to the spine.
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.