Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Cargill Meat Solutions, 3201 East Trail Street, DODGE CITY, KANSAS 67801
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
Employees were performing normal daily tasks within the rendering department when a natural gas explosion occurred in the furnace of the blood dried system. Two employees were hospitalized with burns and other injuries.
An employee was in the basement when he observed animal blood dripping from a small hole in the auger trough. The employee went to plug the hole with a small piece of fat. As the employee pushed the fat into the hole, the auger flight caught his fingertip, resulting in amputation between the nailbed and first knuckle.
An employee was pushing a piece table when it struck a machine. The employee's finger was pinched and partially amputated between the table and machine.
An employee was driving a forklift when it collided with another forklift. The employee's middle finger was pinched between the two forklifts and partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning leaking plastic from an injection nozzle. As the employee was lifting and dislodging plastic, the nozzle shifted and burst apart. The nozzle struck the employee's mouth and jaw and burned the employee. They also sustained a jaw fracture.
An employee was fueling a tractor with diesel when there was an explosion and a fire started. The employee sustained third-degree burns to 32% of his body, chest, and arms.
An employee was torching materials to free a jam in a baler machine when an explosion occurred, resulting in second-degree burns to their left arm and leg that required hospitalization.
An employee was welding an oil pipe and installing a gauge on the pipe of a drilling rig. As he cut into it with a torch, an explosion occurred. The shockwave of the explosion caused the employee to sustain a concussion and multiple broken bones.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311611)
An employee was scraping dried glue from the top lid of a hot glue pot. His left hand slipped and came into contact with the hot glue. He then suffered burns to his hands and fingers as he tried to remove the glue. He was hospitalized.
An employee was in a scissor lift approximately 20 feet above the ground to place a plastic tarp on a catwalk in order to catch condensation. They positioned the lift opposite the work area and stepped out of the scissor lift onto an I-beam. The employee fell from the I-beam to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a skull fracture on the right side of their head and injuries to the chest and both eyes.
A maintenance employee was called to look at a pallet conveyor machine where a chain had fallen off a sprocket wheel. When the employee grabbed the loose chain, a light sensor caused the machine to restart. This created a pinch point between the chain and sprocket that caught the employee's left little finger. The finger was surgically amputated at the second knuckle.
The injured employee was standing by one of the stationary computers along the wall. There was a half-pallet located approximately 3 feet behind the employee that consisted of 12-pound boxes stacked six boxes high. A forklift was transporting a pallet that came in contact with the stationary pallet behind the injured employee, causing four boxes to fall and contact their legs. The injured employee was hospitalized with leg injuries.
An employee was using a box strapping machine to place straps on boxes when his right middle finger was caught in the machine, resulting in an open fracture to the distal phalanx.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.