International Paper Columbus Mill

An employee was collecting a pulp sample when their legs became caught between conveyors. The employee sustained a laceration to the right leg and a contusion to the left leg.

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 straining hot water from a pot of rice when the water splashed onto them, resulting in burns to their chest, arms, shoulder, and back.

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.

An employee was loading black liquor into a tanker truck using a swivel arm. The arm caught and pinched his right middle finger as it moved, resulting in a partial amputation to the first knuckle.

An employee was visually inspecting the drive line for a conveyor. There was an explosion in the conveyor, and the employee suffered second- and third-degree burns to both forearms.

An employee was driving forklift with a load when the forklift hit a guardrail and the employee fell to the ground, resulting in a broken elbow, broken shoulder, and lacerations.

An employee was putting a chain back on a sprocket. The gearbox and sprocket contained two drive chains connected to the lowerator (vertical conveyor) and counterweight assembly. The employee received an alarm indicating that one of the chains had gone slack. While the employee was putting the chain back on the drive sprocket with tongue and groove pliers, the weight of the chain and counterweight fell back in place on the sprocket, pulling the employee's left hand into a pinch point. The employee's ring fingertip was amputated up to the fingernail.

While troubleshooting equipment, an employee tripped on the turntable of the conveyor system and fell to the floor, fracturing their right femur.

An employee was checking a pole-type transformer tank for leaks. A hydraulic clamping device was lowered onto his right thumb and crushed it against the sharp edge of the bottom of the tank. He suffered a partial transphalangeal amputation to the thumb.

The injured employee was standing behind a table. She jumped out to scare another employee, but tripped and fell on the tile floor, injuring her right ankle/foot. She was hospitalized with a dislocated ankle that required surgery.

An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.

An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.

An employee was operating a gas tugger to lift metal sheeting. His left hand was pulled into the pulley, which crushed his left thumb, resulting in avulsions and other tissue damage. He was hospitalized and required surgery.