Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Valero Renewable Fuels Company LLC, W5289 Valero Way, JOHNSON CREEK, WISCONSIN 53038
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was clearing a plugged roller mill. The employee's hand was caught in the mill; two of the employee's fingers were severely injured and two were amputated.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 325193)
An employee was backing up a forklift when the frame of the forklift clipped the wall. The employee's right little finger was pinched between the wall and the forklift, resulting in amputation.
An employee was removing contaminants from a low point drain on an ammonia line through a hose and into a container of water. A release of pressure from the end of the hose exposed the employee to anhydrous ammonia, resulting in chemical burns to his face, arm, and chest as well as ammonia inhalation. He was hospitalized.
At about 7:00 a.m. on February 11, 2025, an employee was troubleshooting a system that had failed to start. Suspecting a tripped breaker and intending to test the system's motor leads, he hooked up an insulation resistance tester. The side of the breaker the tester was hooked up to was still energized, resulting in an arc flash. The employee was hospitalized with second-degree burns to his face and right arm.
An employee was preparing hopper rail cars for loading. The employee fell from the platform used to access the rail car lids, landing in an empty hopper and suffering broken ribs.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.