Contact with hot objects or substances · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Gates Corporation, 1801 N. Lincoln St., SILOAM SPRINGS, ARKANSAS 72761
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
A maintenance technician was replacing a hydraulic hose on an extruder. An adjacent hot water hose burst at the connector, spraying him with 200-degree water. He suffered second-degree burns to his right arm, stomach, and right thigh and was hospitalized.
Two maintenance technicians were changing out drive belts on the south end of the vulcanizing vessel. To check the proper function of the drive belts, the technicians manually cycled the cars into and then out of the vessel. One technician was manually cycling the vessel back out and the injured technician was inspecting the belts and checking the tension. The injured technician's right index finger was pinched between the belt and the pulley, resulting in an amputation of the distal phalanx.
An employee was cleaning a mandrel shaft with an emery cloth when their glove became caught on the rotating shaft. Their right hand was pulled in with the glove and their thumb was amputated.
On February 20, 2024, at approximately 6:30 a.m., an employee was unjamming rubber that had become stuck in a machine. When the machine started, the flapper moved, striking and compressing the employee. The employee was hospitalized for three fractured ribs, a partially collapsed lung, and a puncture wound in the middle of their back.
An employee was operating a hose/bender machine. He was reaching to adjust a piece of hose and got caught in a pinch point, sustaining an amputation to his finger.
On 8/9/2023, an employee was pressure washing a mandrel shell when the pressurized mixture lacerated their right hand near the thumb. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.
An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.
An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.
An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326220)
An employee was preparing to cut rubber stock on a pneumatic cutting machine when their middle and ring fingertips were amputated by the cutting blade.
At about 12:25 a.m. on September 3, 2025, an employee was troubleshooting a malfunction involving a slitter whose arbor was not rotating as expected. The employee was observing the slitter's operations when the arbor completed its cycle and the employee's right index finger was drawn into the slitter's 4-inch, non-rotating cutting blade. The fingertip was amputated.
An employee was operating a rolling rope machine. Tooling fell out of the machine and landed on the employee's foot, breaking bones. The machine was not guarded at the time.
An employee was operating a machine when hot air and water was released. The employee sustained burns to the neck, back, buttocks and leg on the right side.
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.