Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Agropur Inc, 2701 Freedom Road, APPLETON, WISCONSIN 54913
on — Fractures, affecting the leg(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was walking off of an anti-fatigue mat in the retail area when she lost balance and fell on the floor breaking a leg.
An employee was preparing for a clean-in-place (CIP) process and removed a cap from a pipe to connect another pipe. Hot water (approximately 170 degrees) splashed onto the employee, causing burns to her hands, left forearm, and both thighs.
An employee was walking near a spring-mounted valve when the valve opened. Steam was released and burned the employee's arm, resulting in hospitalization.
An employee was removing and cleaning the water filter for a cheese cooker. The employee switched over to the alternate filter and used the shutoff valve to isolate the filter before removing it. When the filter was isolated, the hot water/steam mixture built back pressure in the filter housing. When the employee removed the clamp, the hot water burst out onto the employee causing second-degree burns to their inner arms and the left side of their chest and abdomen.
An employee accessed an electrical panel to switch a breaker when they received a 480-volt electrical shock that went from their right hand to their left hand, resulting in hospitalization.
An employee was pulling on a bale of corrugated cardboard boxes that were on a conveyor. The straps on the bale failed and the employee fell to the floor. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery for a fractured femur and/or hip.
On December 27, 2023, an employee was delivering mail to an apartment complex when their knee gave out and they fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a left tibia fracture.
An employee was walking to the inventory cage when her ankle gave out and she fell to the floor. The employee sustained a femur fracture and was hospitalized.
An employee was dislodging a pallet that was stuck when boxes of product fell onto them, causing them to fall to the ground. The employee suffered a fractured femur.
An employee was performing rear brake shoe service on a truck. The employee was using a prybar to remove a spring when the spring slipped from the S-cam and amputated his left index fingertip.
An employee was unjamming a case that was stuck in a case washer machine when their pants became entangled in a chain, causing them to be sprayed with hot water from the machine. They employee suffered burns from the hot water.
An employee was clearing a cup jam on a cup conveyor when their left hand was caught between the conveyor and an idler roller located on another conveyor line directly above the jam. The employee received an abrasion and friction burn to the hand that required hospitalization.
An employee was performing routine maintenance on an air valve when their right ring finger became caught in the valve. The employee sustained an amputation to the fingertip.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.