Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, Building 475, MINOT AFB, NORTH DAKOTA 58705
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was repairing a portable air compressor when the compressor started and the fan blade amputated the employee's left pinky finger.
An employee suffered a partial amputation of the left middle finger while connecting a tow bar to a forklift's attachment. The employee's finger got pinched between the tow bar and the pintle hook on the attachment.
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 928110)
An employee was activating the sprinkler system at a sports complex following recent maintenance to repair leaky pumps. When the system was activated, a section of newly installed 3-inch schedule 80 PVC pipe struck the employee, who lost consciousness. The employee suffered a broken jaw and a concussion.
An employee was ascending a flight of stairs after exiting their vehicle in an adjacent employee parking lot. The employee stepped to the right to avoid another employee on the left who was descending the stairs. The employee lost their balance and fell on the stairs. They were hospitalized with a laceration/abrasion to their chin, a fractured left humerus, and bruising to their left knee.
At about 3:10 p.m. on October 3, 2025, an employee was inspecting a car. Two dogs that had been in another car were leashed and tethered to a bollard. As the employee inspected the first car along with a narcotics detection dog, one of the other dogs came loose and attacked the narcotics dog. The employee was separating the dogs when the other dog bit his left ring finger. The last joint of the finger was injured and part of it was bitten off.
An employee was climbing a fixed ladder to perform maintenance in an attic. While unlocking the attic entry, the employee fell from the ladder more than 10 feet to the concrete below. The employee suffered a fractured hip, pelvis, tail bone, arm, and elbow, resulting in hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was on the ground working to close a trailer door. The door was caught by the wind and blew the employee backward. He landed on his back and sustained four fractured ribs, requiring hospitalization.
An employee was walking on top of boiler to close a valve. The employee fell off the boiler and landed on the floor, sustaining fractured ribs. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was exiting a loader and coming down the ladder. His hand slipped off the railing and he fell backward onto sandy ground, landing on his side. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and a rotator cuff tear.