Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Associated Milk Producers, Inc., 14193 COUNTY RD S, JIM FALLS, WISCONSIN 54748
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
On November 22, 2019, an employee was placing lids on wooden boxes filled with cheese then affixing straps to the boxes for shipping. A wooden box being fed into the conveyor struck a door that had swung open. The wooden box then kicked back towards the tipping mechanism and the employee's right thumb was caught and partially amputated between the wooden box and the rail of the tipping mechanism.
An employee was checking inventory in the warehouse. They walked out from between racking and were struck by the mast of a forklift that was going forward. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their nose, ribs, and toes.
On June 11, 2025, at approximately 12:35 PM, an assistant cheese maker was unplugging cheese from the star valve on a machine when their left middle finger made contact with the rotating valve. The employee sustained a fingertip amputation.
On June 8, 2025, a filler operator walked down the stairs to go to their work station. They were walking when they tripped over a cart next to the freezer and fell on the floor. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture to their left shoulder/clavicle.
On September 12, 2023, two employees were placing a preassembled box on the box wrapping machine. The top plate of the wrapping machine lowered unevenly onto the box and the employees went to fix it so that the top plate was square with the box. The top plate then pinched the injured employee's right ring finger between the plate and the top of the box frame, resulting in amputation of the fingertip and a tuft fracture.
An employee was operating a cheese curd auger and was attempting to clear cheese from the chute when his right ring finger was caught by the auger, causing a partial amputation of the distal portion of the finger.
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.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311513)
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.
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 changing an O-ring on a pneumatic valve. The employee had placed the valve on his work cart and was applying air to open the valve and access the O-ring. After changing the O-ring, the valve closed on his fingertip, crushing it. He was taken to the hospital, where he received an amputation.
An employee was using a pike to move a pallet of sugar that was stuck in the powder racking. The employee fell backward, landing on his right leg. The employee's leg was fractured and he was hospitalized.
The injured employee was carrying totes of cheese when they tripped over another employee's foot/ankle and fell to the cement floor. The injured employee sustained six fractured ribs on the left side and was hospitalized.
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.