Fall through surface or existing opening less than 6 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Peco Foods, Inc., 625 S Allen St, BATESVILLE, ARKANSAS 72501
on — Fractures, affecting the forearm(s).
Final narrative
A sanitizing crew was in the picking room and had removed the drain grates in the floor to clean. While the crew was cleaning in the picking area, a maintenance employee entered the picking area. As the maintenance employee was walking to the equipment needing maintenance, he tripped in an open drain. He fell and tried to catch himself, fracturing the radius and ulna of his left arm.
HospitalizedForearm(s)Grates and drains in floor surface
On March 24, 2025, an employee was clearing a backed-up drain. As he was removing one of two fiberglass grates from the clogged drain, the grate slipped and fell, causing his right index finger to be crushed between the two grates. His right distal index finger was fractured and lacerated.
An employee was draining hot oil from the fryer into the floor drain and went to close the valve when they slipped and fell to the floor. They fell into hot oil that overflowed from the drain, resulting in burns to 45% of their body.
An employee was cleaning a chicken neck skinning machine when they noticed chicken skin was stuck on a piece of the machinery. The employee removed the piece of excess skin and their left index finger got caught in the equipment, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was gravity feeding a chemical cleaner from a forklift into a fryer using a hose when the hose came disconnected. The chemical sprayed onto the employee, resulting in chemical burns to their neck, back, and pelvic area.
A temporary employee walked across a wooden pallet to retrieve product to stock. When he walked back across the pallet, it broke, causing the employee to fall to the ground and sustain a fractured hip.
On April 10, 2023, at 12:00 PM, an employee was using a broom to clear rock from a building's foundation in preparation for a spray-on vapor barrier. There was a 4-foot deep trench next to the building where the employee was working and the soil at the trench's edge fell away. The employee fell into the trench and was hospitalized for a left pelvis and/or femur fracture.
An employee was walking up a steel staircase to check wiring in the electrical room. The staircase had a top platform with a grate that was sitting across the beams of the platform. The grate had shifted and as the employee stepped on it, it gave way, causing him to fall approximately 3 feet to the ground below. The grate landed on the employee and he was hospitalized for four transverse process fractures in the lower spine.
An employee was stocking the freezer and stepped on a wood pallet. The employee's foot went into the pallet and they sustained a right ankle fracture that required hospitalization and surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311615)
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.
An employee was troubleshooting a thigh deboner on a poultry processing line. As he worked to dislodge a thigh bone caught in the blade mechanism, the machine amputated the first and second digits on his left hand. He was hospitalized.
On September 25, 2025, an employee was exiting a yard truck. They slipped and fell approximately 3 feet from the top tread of the steps to the concrete below. The employee sustained a fractured left hip.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift, picking product for an order. The forklift struck a metal rack and the employee's left arm was caught between the forklift and the rack. He was hospitalized with a fracture to the neck of his radius and an open fracture to the olecranon (elbow).
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.