Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at FIBER ENERGY PRODUCTS, 4004 BLUE COLLAR LANE, MOUNTAIN VIEW, ARKANSAS 72560
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
On March 15, 2019, at 1530, two employees noticed smoke from the sawdust bin. The two employees attempted to move the sawdust in the bin to the ground via an auger system. Thirty minutes later, the employees opened the lower hatch. A blast of fire shot from the hatch, severely burning the two men. The first employee suffered burns on the neck, face, and hands. The second employee suffered burns on the chest and stomach area.
HospitalizedMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Wood chips, sawdust
An employee was taking a break by a baghouse after shoveling hot pellets that were being expelled from a cooler. While the pellets were still being expelled from the cooler hopper, a flame shot out of the discharge pipe, then backdrafted up the pipe into the cooler and then into the bag house. The employee suffered burns to the hands and arms from the resulting explosion.
An employee was prepping to run a batch of feed when a grain dust explosion occurred at the establishment elevator, burning the employee. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee changing filters on a filter system connected to a grinding unit dropped one of the filters into the filter unit. The impact inside the unit created a spark that ignited the aluminum dust, causing an aluminum dust deflagration. A fire ball discharged from the filter unit, contacting and causing second degree burns to the employee's hands.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 321999)
An employee was using a telehandler to move pallets of pellets from a pod. The employee exited the telehandler to pick up a sacrificial pallet that is placed under the bottom layer of pallets. When the employee turned to pull the pallet away, the top two tiers of the pod fell on him. The employee sustained a fractured ankle, three fractured ribs, and fractured vertebrae.
An employee was preparing to replace a belt on a fan drive assembly. He went to manually stop the fan and was caught by the belt. His hand was pulled into the machine and his left little fingertip was amputated.
An employee was cutting remanufactured lumber with a chainsaw when a board fell and struck his left hand, causing his left hand to move off the chainsaw. While he was moving his hand back, the chainsaw kicked back and lacerated the top of his left hand. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
On October 25, 2025, an employee was stringing up a new reel of tire tread on a machine. The employee pulled a 6-inch tail and proceeded to spool up the liner. As the machine was jogged to begin the liner wrapping process, the liner caught the employee's glove and pulled their right arm into the liner, causing a fracture to the arm.
An employee was doing a cable change on top of an electric overhead traveling (EOT) crane. They were positioned between the cable drum and the drive shaft. While rotating the cable drum, the employee reached for the new cable that was to be installed. The grease fitting on the drive shaft caught their fall harness and pulled them underneath the drive shaft. The employee was pinned between the drive shaft and two pieces of angle steel, resulting in a fracture to their left hip.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.