Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at LM Wind Power Blades (ND), Inc., 1580 South 48th Street, GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58206
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning out glass fibers in a small channel that houses a cutting blade on a cutting machine and suffered a fingertip amputation.
AmputationFingertip(s)Machinery, unspecified
More severe injuries at LM Wind Power Blades (ND), Inc.
An employee was repairing the inside of a turbine blade when he fell onto a sharp edge protruding from the work surface. The employee sustained a laceration to his right arm requiring hospitalization.
An employee was repositioning a cart under a mold. The employee's hand was between the mold and the cart when the mold suddenly dropped into the cart. The employee sustained crushing injuries to the right hand.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 333611)
Four employees were traveling in a utility task vehicle (UTV) on the east lot of the site. While turning, the UTV flipped over onto the driver's side. The driver's left wrist and hand were crushed by the frame of the UTV resulting in a fractured and dislocated wrist, as well as hand injuries. The driver was hospitalized and required surgery.
On August 15th, 2025, an employee was aligning/connecting a coupler to the generator of a wind turbine. The coupler was secured in place by a strap that was connected to the turbine's chain hoist and a bolt. While lining up the remaining holes, the coupler rotated while the employee's right index finger was in one of the bolt holes, causing a partial amputation through the phalanx.
Employees were preparing to unload a wind turbine gearbox from a flatbed trailer. An employee went to reposition himself on the flatbed trailer and grabbed onto a wooden piece of the shipping cribbing for support. The piece of wood began to come loose, causing the employee to lose his balance. The employee jumped to the ground about 4 feet below and landed on his feet. His left ankle rolled and the employee was hospitalized with a fractured ankle that required surgery.
An employee was working to move a paper roller carriage, which is a 3 by 3-foot paper roll weighing approximately 500 pounds. The employee's hands were positioned in the area where the spool meets the cradle. As the employee moved the carriage across a floor track, the paper roll was dislodged and caught the employee's finger, severing it. The employee's right middle fingertip was partially amputated.
An employee was on the ground working to close a trailer door. The door was caught by the wind and blew the employee backward. He landed on his back and sustained four fractured ribs, requiring hospitalization.
An employee was walking on top of boiler to close a valve. The employee fell off the boiler and landed on the floor, sustaining fractured ribs. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was exiting a loader and coming down the ladder. His hand slipped off the railing and he fell backward onto sandy ground, landing on his side. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and a rotator cuff tear.