Struck by dislodged flying object, particle · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at JACUZZI, INC., 512 HIGHLAND DR., VALDOSTA, GEORGIA 31601
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was tightening a bolt holding a pulley. The bolt snapped, releasing the pulley and the cable. The cable snapped and caught the employee's fingers against a guard, causing the amputation of the left index finger at the last joint and a laceration and fracture of the left middle finger.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326191)
An employee was cutting a 7-foot pipe using a band saw. He went to wipe moisture off the pipe with a rag and the rag became entangled in the moving saw blade, pulling his right hand into the blade. The employee sustained a partial amputation to the fourth distal phalanx and third digit.
An employee was working in the grinding room on a production line for bathtubs. The tubs are laid on a conveyor and have wooden blocks for feet. The conveyor moves the tubs onto a saw that cuts off the wooden blocks. The saws are protected by expandable metal guards. The conveyor then moves the tubs through an area lined with coarse horsehair brushes before reaching the discharge area, where the employee was working. The employee was drilling a hole behind the metal guarding when their right hand went into the horsehair brush area and contacted a saw blade, resulting in a laceration on the back of their right hand that required surgery.
An employee was cleaning saw dust off of a straight line rip saw after turning it off when his fingers contacted the blade that was still spinning, resulting in the amputations of the left middle and index fingertips to the first knuckle.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.