Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Valeron Strength Films, 9505 Bamboo Rd., HOUSTON, TEXAS 77041
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was machining a steel roller on a manual lathe. The employee's hands came into contact with the roller, causing an amputation to the right index finger and a fracture to the left hand.
An employee was retrieving a measuring tape from underneath laminator rolls when his left arm was caught and crushed between two rollers. The employee sustained fractures to his left forearm, thumb, middle finger, ring finger, and wrist.
An employee was setting up a spiral cutter in an extrusion bay when they began to feel hot and lightheaded and experienced muscle cramps. The employee was hospitalized due to dehydration.
An employee was sharpening peeler blades when their shirt was caught in the grinding wheel. The employee sustained tendon damage and a crushed right hand.
An employee was preparing to cut lumber on a panel saw when the clamp engaged and caught the employee's left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326113)
A subcontracted engineer was advising maintenance how to make a modification to the embossing roll system on a new line. Maintenance was bringing the motor and gearbox down with a crane. The load shifted when it was a few inches from the ground. The engineer went to catch/maneuver the gearbox and the fingers on his left hand were crushed between the I-beam base of the gearbox and the concrete floor. A finger was amputated.
On July 30, 2025, an employee was assisting co-workers in using a hoist to position an injection molding tool onto a work table. As the tool was being lowered, the slide section shifted, trapping and amputating the employee's right thumb tip.
An employee was manually lifting a film roll when their right middle fingertip was pinched between the roll and a metal beam, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
At about 10:00 a.m. on July 13, 2025, an employee was cleaning the adhesive from running rollers using a rag soaked in cleaning solvent to prevent contamination. The rag was caught between two rollers and pulled the employee's right hand between the rollers. The employee sustained right hand crushing injuries, de-gloving injuries (palmer and dorsal sides), and fractures. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee working on a sheet line was removing masking from the underside of plastic sheeting that was being lifted by a vacuum lift. The plastic sheet measured 4 feet wide, 14 feet long, and approximately 1 inch thick, and it weighed approximately 300 pounds. The vacuum lost suction and dropped the plastic sheet onto the employee's arm, pinning it between two sheets and resulting in a broken right forearm.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.