Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Southwest Airlines, 8500 Pena Blvd, DENVER, COLORADO 80249
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was installing an engine cradle bolt when the cradle shifted and partially amputated the tip of his left thumb.
An employee was walking on the tarmac and conducting safety checks on an aircraft, when they slipped on ice and fell on the ground. The employee sustained a fractured right femur.
An employee was pulling a cart to connect with another cart when the ring of the brake bar crushed the employee's middle finger, resulting in amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was driving a tug to deliver luggage to a terminal. The employee was parking the tug when the brakes failed. The employee then jumped off. The tug struck the building and rebounded toward the employee, the wheels struck the employee's foot and he sustained ankle and toe fractures.
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 481111)
An employee was clearing a jam on the airport baggage system conveyor when his left leg became caught between slats of the conveyor. The employee sustained fractures and tissue damage to his lower leg, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was helping offload an aircraft. She was standing in the opening between a parked cart and an unoccupied aircraft tug when another vehicle struck a stationary bag cart, which then struck her. The employee suffered a skull fracture near the right eye, a right kneecap fracture, a nose fracture, and sinus damage, as well as soft tissue damage to the left calf and hip. She was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was working to refuel a truck. While handling the fuel hose(s), she experienced pain in her stomach. After completing the task, the employee drove back to the pad and the movement aggravated her abdominal pain. The employee was hospitalized with an abdominal sprain/strain.
An employee was on a jetway overseeing the operation. As the jet bridge was retracted, the employee's left arm was caught between the jet bridge side walls. The employee sustained a degloving to their left forearm.
An employee was descending a fixed ladder on the side of a container loader. The employee fell from the ladder, landing on the ground about 6-8 feet below and sustained fractures to their back and pelvis.
An employee was delivering materials. He was doing his pre-delivery inspection on the roof of the jobsite (a warehouse) when he fell through a plexiglass skylight. He landed on his feet on the concrete floor 14 feet below. The employee sustained fractures to his spine, left ulnar/radius, and right heel. The employee required surgery.
An employee was removing packaging from a roll of printing substrate. The blade of their utility knife got stuck. The employee used both hands to free the knife and the blade partially amputated their left little fingertip.
A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.
An employee was standing on an extension ladder, using a torquing tool to remove bolts that secured blades to a rotor. When the torquing tool activated, its reaction arm came around and pinched the employee's right middle finger against a lifting eye. His fingertip was amputated.