Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Barry-Wehmiller Papersystems International, Inc., 1300 N Airport Road, PHILLIPS, WISCONSIN 54555
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
On March 9, 2021, a CNC machine operator suffered a laceration and fracture to the left hand/arm. The employee's little finger was surgically amputated.
On January 17, 2025, at 12:15 p.m., an employee was moving 11-gauge steel sheets from a holding cart using a pendant-controlled, 1-ton jib hoist equipped with a plate clamp lifting attachment. With the plate clamp empty and open, the employee began raising the hoist. The clamp became caught on the bottom of the cart, tipping the cart in the direction of the employee. Several sheets of steel slid off the cart and struck the employee, resulting in several broken ribs, a broken left leg and ankle, a fractured kneecap, and a torn left ACL. The employee was hospitalized.
On March 23, 2023, at 10:23 AM, an employee was working on a sheeter outfeed conveyor table and installing the sheet diverter. As the assembly was lifted with a jib boom, his finger was caught between the hook and the part he was lifting, resulting in a finger amputation.
On February 8, 2023, at 9:15 AM, an employee was operating a saw in the gateway department. While the employee was clearing debris, the machine pushed new material forward for processing, catching the employee's right thumb. The employee sustained a partial amputation.
On September 25, 2023, an employee was working in the body department installing doors, hoods, and tailgates. The employee finished their shift and was hospitalized later that evening for a back injury.
On May 9, 2025, an employee was using an air hose to clear debris from the courtyard area when she slipped and fell. The employee was hospitalized with
closed fractures to her left fibula, tibia, and medial malleolus.
On April 24, 2025, an employee was opening a cylinder door on a hydraulic bridge to remove lumber when their left middle finger was caught between the door and the hydraulic bridge, resulting in an amputation without bone loss.
Two employees were using a plywood chop saw. The injured employee was holding one end of the saw with their right hand when the operator on the other end pressed the start button. The saw blade contacted the injured employee's right hand, resulting in multiple finger amputations when it amputated the hand above the thumb.
On January 17, 2025, at 12:15 p.m., an employee was moving 11-gauge steel sheets from a holding cart using a pendant-controlled, 1-ton jib hoist equipped with a plate clamp lifting attachment. With the plate clamp empty and open, the employee began raising the hoist. The clamp became caught on the bottom of the cart, tipping the cart in the direction of the employee. Several sheets of steel slid off the cart and struck the employee, resulting in several broken ribs, a broken left leg and ankle, a fractured kneecap, and a torn left ACL. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was operating an air hoist to rotate a blending mill counter-clockwise. After he connected the hook to the mill, the hoist was raised and his hand was pinched between the hook block and the ring on the mill. The employee sustained a partial amputation of his right thumb.
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.