Darling Ingredients Inc.

An employee was dumping a hopper into a dumpster when their left middle fingertip was amputated.

A driver just completed dumping the contents of his truck bed and the hides basket at their facility. The employee noticed that the hides basket door did not close completely after the dump bed was lowered with the exterior controls. The employee went to manually push the hides basket door closed when their hand was pinched between the door and body of the hides basket, resulting in a right ring fingertip amputation. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.

On June 2, 2023, an employee was standing on the mezzanine around the pressure cookers when hot steam and 300-degree grease escaped from the ports. The employee sustained burns to 57% of their body.

An employee was on a catwalk pressure washing the inside of a feather dryer to prepare it for maintenance. The employee's knee pad slipped, causing him to lose his balance and move forward. The stream from the pressure washer contacted his left index finger, resulting in a laceration that required hospitalization.

An employee was cleaning a centrifuge when he dropped a pair of pliers. The pliers struck a valve containing hot water, causing it to it discharge and strike him in the face. The employee sustained second-degree burns to the nose and right cheek.

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.

A temporary employee was working to unclog butter from a butter melter pump. His right index finger was caught in the machine, and the fingertip was amputated. The machine was energized at the time.

An employee working at the reject conveyor was placing a product guide bar on the conveyor. This metal guide bar is placed on the side of the conveyor belt to funnel the product, preventing it from falling off the sides. As he was getting the attachment positioned, his left ring finger was caught between the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt frame. The employee's finger was fractured and partially amputated.

An employee was using a pneumatic impact wrench to tighten bolts on a brake press anvil. The impact wrench hooked up on something, causing the tool to rotate. This spun his left hand with it. Their index finger was pinched between the side handle of the tool and an anvil bolt on the press, resulting in an open fracture. The employee required a medical amputation of the fingertip.

An employee was cleaning the area under a mobile elevated work platform. The platform lowered and struck the employee, resulting in a fractured right femur. The employee was hospitalized.

As an employee was opening an infeed valve. Hot tallow oil in the line above fell back down the pipe and came out of an open pressure relief valve, striking the employee on the thighs. The employee was hospitalized with second-degree burns to his thigh. Another employee sustained burns to their back but they were not hospitalized.

An employee tripped over a bin and fell to the floor. She landed on her hip and braced herself with her arm, resulting in a fractured hip and wrist.

An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.

An employee was standing on a multi-purpose ladder installing head flashing over a window. Their feet were approximately 6 feet off the ground and three rungs from the top. The employee lost their grip on the drill they were using and the ladder tipped over. The employee fell from the ladder to the ground, resulting in a fractured left wrist, bruised chest, and lacerations to their face and lip.

An employee was inspecting the overhead area of a single-person lift and repositioning the lift through a double doorway. As they were transitioning through the doorway, they were caught between the doorframe and the vertical mast of the lift. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to the nose, left maxillary sinus, left orbital bone, and left jaw, with fractures at the maxillary sinus area.

An employee was loading a 4-inch wooden door into a pickup truck when he felt a pop in his right side behind his shoulder blade. He was hospitalized later that day and underwent surgery, having suffered a collapsed right lung.