Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at GATES CORP., 1450 MONTANA RD., IOLA, KANSAS 66749
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An operator was working at the north end of a strip table with another operator at the south end of the table at a nylon unwrapper. The operator was trying to keep the 3/8" pole on the rollers to help the pole spin as the nylon was being removed from the pole. The end of the pole got caught in a roller and the operator's hand got tangled together with the pole. When the operator pulled his hand out of the entanglement, his right middle fingertip was amputated. The finger was also broken below the amputation point.
AmputationFingertip(s)Material and personnel handling machinery, n.e.c.
An employee was fabricating a braided rubber hose. They pulled on a reel to get more material. When the reel moved, it turned on a groove in the concrete floor and impacted a tray. The employee's right hand was then pinned between the reel and the edge of the metal tape dispenser on the tray, resulting in a partial amputation of the middle finger.
An employee was assembling orders while driving a forklift. While she was placing parts on a pallet, she turned around and fell backward and horizontally approximately 6 feet and struck her head on the lower level of the shelving rack. The employee sustained a fractured elbow, lacerations to the head, and brain bleeding.
An employee was sharpening peeler blades when their shirt was caught in the grinding wheel. The employee sustained tendon damage and a crushed right hand.
An employee was preparing to cut lumber on a panel saw when the clamp engaged and caught the employee's left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326220)
An employee was preparing to cut rubber stock on a pneumatic cutting machine when their middle and ring fingertips were amputated by the cutting blade.
At about 12:25 a.m. on September 3, 2025, an employee was troubleshooting a malfunction involving a slitter whose arbor was not rotating as expected. The employee was observing the slitter's operations when the arbor completed its cycle and the employee's right index finger was drawn into the slitter's 4-inch, non-rotating cutting blade. The fingertip was amputated.
An employee was operating a rolling rope machine. Tooling fell out of the machine and landed on the employee's foot, breaking bones. The machine was not guarded at the time.
An employee was operating a machine when hot air and water was released. The employee sustained burns to the neck, back, buttocks and leg on the right side.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.