Western Metals Recycling, L.L.C.

On December 13, 2023, an employee was operating a forklift. When they stepped off the forklift, it crushed their left foot between the lift and a racking system. The employee suffered a foot fracture that required hospitalization.

An employee was maneuvering a motorized pallet jack while standing in front of it. He became pinned between the pallet jack and a steel rack cross-beam, resulting in a contusion to his chest/back and a fractured rib.

An employee was stacking empty drums into a trailer. The employee then exited the trailer, using the forks of a forklift as a step. The forklift's parking brake failed, causing the forklift to move forward and pin the employee's right leg between the forklift and the trailer. The employee's right lower leg was crushed, resulting in a fracture and a laceration.

An employee had been spraying weeds behind a school. As he was leaving the field, the employee drove his truck up to the gate, got out, and opened the gate. The truck rolled forward and pinned him against the fence/gate. The gate then gave way and opened from the force of the truck. The employee's left index fingertip got caught in the fence/gate and was amputated.

An employee was using a walk-behind tugger to pull a grinder. The employee's left little finger was pinched between the handle of the tugger and the framework of a staircase. The employee's fingertip was amputated.

An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.

An employee was checking on a machine outside of the building and removed a cover to clean out a blocked area. His hand was caught by a rotary valve in a dust collection machine. The employee's fingertip was amputated.

A shear operator's hand and fingers were caught in a machine's point of operation. The operator's right index finger was crushed and was partially medically amputated.

An employee was operating a forklift. He parked on a ramp and got off the forklift to retrieve material, at which point the forklift rolled backward and ran over his leg. The leg was broken and he was hospitalized, requiring surgery.

An employee was using a shear to cut metal when the blade cut his left ring finger and amputated his left little finger.

An employee was delivering materials. He was doing his pre-delivery inspection on the roof of the jobsite (a warehouse) when he fell through a plexiglass skylight. He landed on his feet on the concrete floor 14 feet below. The employee sustained fractures to his spine, left ulnar/radius, and right heel. The employee required surgery.

An employee was cutting cabinet trim using a table saw when four fingers on his left hand were severed, resulting in hospitalization and amputation.

An employee was removing packaging from a roll of printing substrate. The blade of their utility knife got stuck. The employee used both hands to free the knife and the blade partially amputated their left little fingertip.

A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.

An employee was standing on an extension ladder, using a torquing tool to remove bolts that secured blades to a rotor. When the torquing tool activated, its reaction arm came around and pinched the employee's right middle finger against a lifting eye. His fingertip was amputated.