Hilmar Cheese Company

A maintenance employee was troubleshooting a clean-in-place (CIP) line at the whey protein liquid processing area. The employee was repairing the CIP valve when a nearby valve pulsated and released hot water/caustic liquid that contacted the employee's abdomen and lower extremities. The employee was hospitalized for second-degree burns.

An employee was operating a standup forklift while putting parts up on a conveyor line. He was backing up when the forklift appeared to speed up and move toward some stairs. He attempted to stop the forklift using his left foot, but his foot was caught and fractured between the standup forklift and the stairs.

On or about October 8, 2015, at 1135 hours, a worker for Hilmar Cheese Company was unhooking a hose from a truck that he thought had finished unloading heavy cream. The truck was still loading and the hose was under pressure. When the worker unhooked the hose, the valve slammed shut on his finger. The worker was taken to Dalhart Memorial Hospital and later to BSA Hospital in Amarillo, where the distal phalanges of his right index finger were removed due to the extent of his injury.

An employee was changing a saw blade when the saw machine activated. The employee's left ring and little fingers were amputated.

An employee was clearing a jam from the label cutting machine when their left middle finger was partially 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.

An employee was putting chicken into a fryer. The employee's foot slipped, causing them to fall toward the fryer. Their left hand and arm made contact with the fryer basket and oil in the fryer, and oil splashed on their left arm, armpit, and face. The employee suffered burns to their hand, arm, and face.

An employee was assisting a customer when he tripped over a cord. He was hospitalized with a fractured hip and required surgery.

A delivery driver was loading cases onto a pallet while standing at the back of his trailer. A sports utility vehicle struck the driver, knocking him 10 to 20 feet in the other direction. The employee sustained a concussion and a pneumothorax.

On February 4, 2025, at approximately 6:15 PM, an employee was using a box cutter to cut open a plastic bucket of oil when their left index fingertip was lacerated. The employee was hospitalized and sustained an amputation.

An employee was plugging in an electrical forklift to a charging unit when he made contact with bare copper wires. He received a 240V shock and burns to his right hand and index finger. He was hospitalized.

After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.

An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.

An employee was inspecting flares processes. The employee received burns to the front side of the body, face and arm from the flares.

An employee was removing plastic material from a production line when the machine cycled and amputated his left index, ring, and little fingers.

An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.