Contact with hot objects or substances · Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO., 3500 WASHINGTON ST., TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS 71854
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was using a pry bar on a hot mold in a tire change press. His left pinky finger contacted the hot mold, resulting in a burn. He was hospitalized for an infection.
An employee was overseeing the process of emptying a condensation pit into a relief pit. While observing a pump, hot steam from a condensation tank leaked out onto the employee resulting in first and second degree burns to their back, the backside of both arms, and the backside of both legs.
An employee was attempting to remove rubber from a mixer door when his left arm entered the mixer, resulting in a left middle finger amputation and crushed left ring finger.
On June 5, 2016, an employee was unloading a semi trailer using a forklift. She picked up a load, drove approximately 8 feet, and exited her lift. The forklift then rolled forward and pinned her between the load on the lift and another skid, breaking two legs and requiring hospitalization.
An employee was removing a spacer from the curing press when a bolt that was holding up the support leg for another piece of equipment (platen) broke. The support leg fell on the employee's right middle finger, smashing it.
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 326211)
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 adjusting a pallet on a conveyor when it came off the conveyor and struck his right ankle, breaking the tibia and fibula. The employee was hospitalized.
At 2:45 p.m., an employee was outside the plant during a break before his next shift. He was speaking with an associate when he suddenly fell from the third-level steps to the ground, striking his head on the concrete. The employee was hospitalized due to internal brain bleeding, a wound to the back of his head requiring staples, and heat-related dehydration.
Two employees were replacing a motor on an overhead conveyor. The old motor fell to the floor, causing a piece of the concrete floor to fly up and strike the injured employee in the face, around the eye. The injured employee sustained a right orbital fracture, a zygomatic arch fracture, and a sphenoid fracture. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was changing the bladder on a hydraulic press. As he lowered the bladder, his left foot was pinned between its bottom ring and the bottom mold of the press. The second toe on the foot was amputated.
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.