Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at The J.M. Smucker Company, 2200 N.W. Brickyard Road, TOPEKA, KANSAS 66618
on — Fractures, affecting the hand(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
A maintenance employee was adjusting conveyor tracking bolts at the bottom frame of the conveyor when he began to feel dizzy and grabbed the frame to balance himself. The employee's hand contacted the moving conveyor, resulting in broken bones in his hand that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was walking in a parking lot during break when they were struck by a vehicle, resulting in fractures to their left scapula and lower right leg.
An employee was operating equipment on the sealer dry packaging line when the conveyor grabbed his gloved hand and pulled it inside the entrance to the sealer. The employee's left middle fingertip was amputated.
An employee was adjusting film guides to thread film over a film anvil and splice in a new roll. As the employee was tucking the film into the holes underneath the film anvil, the anvil dropped and struck his right forearm, forcing it down to the bottom bracket. The employee suffered a broken forearm.
An employee was taking a pallet off a loading station in a distribution center when the chain that creates movement on the line popped into motion and amputated his left index finger at the first knuckle behind the nail. Lockout/tagout procedures were not performed at the time of the incident.
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 311111)
An employee was working to remove a spatula that got stuck in an auger at the bottom of a hopper. The employee went to remove the face plate to help release the spatula. His fingers were in the holes to pull off the face plate when the machine actuated. His right middle finger got trapped between the face plate and the inner plate, resulting in amputation.
An employee was walking in a parking lot during break when they were struck by a vehicle, resulting in fractures to their left scapula and lower right leg.
An employee bent down to turn on an air valve, lost their footing, and struck their hand on a pressure relief valve while trying to catch themselves. The employee suffered an amputation to their right index fingertip.
An employee was working on a production line, packaging chews for animals. She retrieved a fallen cap for another production line from the floor and went to put in back in the machine it had fallen from (a capper). The machine caught the tip of her left little finger, causing a fingertip amputation.
An employee was taking apart the piping to a meat pump for clean-up. He saw food debris inside the pump housing and went to remove it. The meat pump rotor caught and severed his right index and middle fingertips, resulting in partial fingertip amputations.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.