Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Berger US, Inc., 3491 Mary Taylor Road, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA 35235
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was operating a ring rolling machine when he noticed a cut off slug had fallen into the overlap press. He pressed the quit button on the controller to stop the machine. He then reached into the overlap press to clear the debris and the press crushed the two middle fingers on his right hand, resulting in a partial amputation of the two fingers just below the fingernail.
A temporary employee was operating a double headed riveter in the rivet cell of the fiber department when the machine cycled, amputating their right index fingertip.
An employee was operating a resistance welder. The employee placed a ring band on the lower electrode. She then placed a closure handle on the top of the band. Once the welding process was initiated, the employee reached for the next band to process with her left hand, and reached for the ring she was currently welding with her right hand. The machine had not completed the clamping process and her right index finger was caught between the upper electrode and the ring. The fingertip was amputated.
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 332439)
An employee was preparing to remove the drive chain of a conveyor motor. Their thumb became caught in the sprocket and chain of the drive motor, resulting in an amputation to the thumb tip between the nail and the first joint.
An employee was working with a drill press when his glove and forearm were caught by the drill bit, resulting in lacerations and fractures to his right forearm. The employee's arm was amputated below the elbow.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk when he stepped off the sidewalk into the grass. As he was stepping onto the concrete parking lot, he tripped over the edge of the concrete and fell onto his left hip. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was changing the cooling nozzles on an aftercooler and the pneumatic power was activated. This caused the top plate to move into the top position and crush the employee's right arm. The employee sustained a fractured arm.
On October 15, 2024, an employee was cleaning a drum welder with a rag. The machine pulled in the rag and injured three fingers on the employee's left hand. The employee was hospitalized with three partially amputated fingers.
An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.