Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Durez Corporation, 13717 US HWY. 68 S, KENTON, OHIO 43326
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was clearing powder from a clogged dust collector on a grinder and suffered a partial amputation of the right index fingertip from the moving rotary valve feeder/air lock at the bottom of the hopper. The machine was not locked out at the time.
An employee was hooking up a chemical hose to an air diaphragm pump when the discharge air disconnected the hose from the pump. The employee was splashed with distillate byproduct (95% water and 3% or less phenol-formaldehyde) on their face, wrist, forearm, right knee, and right side of their stomach. The employee was hospitalized for chemical burns.
An employee was descending an exterior ladder from the second floor to the mezzanine level. The employee's leg slipped through the rungs of the ladder; he fell backward and sustained a leg fracture and knee injury that required surgery. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was attempting to dislodge a blockage from the transfer line. The steam was shut off, but pressure remained in the line. When the blockage was dislodged, hot resin (200 degrees Celsius) sprayed down into the drum and onto the employee's face and neck. The employee was hospitalized with burns to the face and neck.
After cleaning a process kettle with methanol and water, an employee emptied the tank and filled it with phenol. The employee then began to remove the plug and was splashed with phenol, suffering chemical burns to the right thigh, stomach, and face.
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.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 325211)
An employee was monitoring a rotary press when his left hand became caught in the machinery. The employee's left middle finger was amputated at the distal interphalangeal joint.
An employee was sweeping in an area with powdered PVC on the floor and began having difficulty breathing and coughing up blood, The employee was hospitalized for inhalation of PVC.
An employee was working on a pastillator machine, which processes resin-based materials into solid pastilles. His right hand became caught between the feed roller (operating at approximately 350 F) and the cooling belt. The employee s glove and shirt sleeve adhered to his arm due to the heat. The employee sustained third-degree burns to his right hand and forearm, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was troubleshooting a leak on a low pressure (less than 50 PSI) condensate line in the oxidation area of the plant. He was working to remove insulation around a valve when either the valve or the line failed, and hot condensate contacted his right arm, right abdomen area, and the front of both legs, resulting in second- and third-degree burns.
An employee was replacing a fan on a cooling unit. As he went to adjust a pump, the unit caught his right hand and the fan blades severely lacerated his index finger. He underwent a medical amputation to the finger.
An employee was working to deliver mail to an apartment building. She was waiting for a customer to move, to obtain clearance to the mailboxes. The door swung inward and closed on her right little finger. The top half of her finger was surgically amputated.
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
An employee was setting up communication equipment for a meeting. They were walking and tripped over a speaker on the ground. The employee sustained a leg injury.