Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Hallmark Cleaners, Inc., 5869 Ridgewood Rd., JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39211
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was placing clothing/hangers onto a moving screw conveyor. A hanger got caught in the screw conveyor, and as the employee was removing it, their left index finger got caught in the conveyor and the end of the finger was 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 812320)
An employee opened an office door, then moved away from it, at which point their left little finger was crushed in the door frame. The employee suffered an open wound to the finger with a nailbed injury, an exposed tendon, and a fracture, resulting in hospitalization.
An employee was walking when they slipped in some water but didn't fall to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a broken blood vessel in his right calf.
On August 6, 2025, an employee was placing cardboard into a cardboard compactor when his right middle and index fingertips were amputated. The employee was hospitalized for hand surgery.
An employee was performing sheet pressing. The employee reached down to the right to get a sheet. The damp sheets were heavy and the employee placed his left arm on the lower presser. The employee reached to remove the cover from the bin to get a sheet when the unguarded switch was inadvertently activated causing the presser to actuate the upper press. The upper presser closed down on the employee's arm resulting in hospitalization with burns.
An employee was fixing a steam leak from a boiler. He used rope to secure the manhole cover while venting residual steam from the manhole opening. When he released tension on the rope, the manhole cover dropped into the tank and splashed hot water onto the employee. He sustained first- and second-degree burns to his right arm and first-degree burns to his upper chest.
An employee was checking a pole-type transformer tank for leaks. A hydraulic clamping device was lowered onto his right thumb and crushed it against the sharp edge of the bottom of the tank. He suffered a partial transphalangeal amputation to the thumb.
The injured employee was standing behind a table. She jumped out to scare another employee, but tripped and fell on the tile floor, injuring her right ankle/foot. She was hospitalized with a dislocated ankle that required surgery.
An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was operating a gas tugger to lift metal sheeting. His left hand was pulled into the pulley, which crushed his left thumb, resulting in avulsions and other tissue damage. He was hospitalized and required surgery.