Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet · Bruises, contusions
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Real Alloy Recycling, Inc., 400 E Lincoln Hwy., CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS 60411
on — Bruises, contusions, affecting the knee(s) and leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee was in a manlift, troubleshooting the pilot for the main burner on a furnace. The furnace door was opened and contacted the manlift basket. The employee fell about 8 feet and suffered contusions to his left thigh, knee, and shin area.
HospitalizedKnee(s) and leg(s)Manlifts
More severe injuries at Real Alloy Recycling, Inc.
On January 8, 2021, an employee tripped and fell. His left hand and forearm entered a tube of molten aluminum as he braced himself. He was hospitalized, having suffered second- and third-degree burns on his forearm and wrist.
An employee was charging a furnace by adding material using a powered industrial vehicle. An explosion occurred, causing a fireball to come out of the furnace. The employee jumped from the vehicle to avoid the fireball and landed on the ground. He suffered first and second degree burns to the forehead and injuries to his left knee.
An employee was preparing a tank car for loading while chipping away solidified product in the manway opening of the tank car. A pressure noise within the tank car startled the employee, causing him to stumble backward and fall approximately 10 feet over the guard railing at the chemical loading rack to the ground. The employee suffered fractured vertebrae, a fractured right wrist and ankle, and a dislocated jaw.
An employee was installing an electrical tray remover from a ladder. As he was descending, his missed a step and fell 6-7 feet to the floor. The employee suffered a head injury.
Two employees were installing spray foam insulation in the attic of a new residential construction. The injured employee fell 8 feet from an A-frame ladder to the floor. The employee suffered lacerations, abrasions, and a head injury.
An employee was on a raised platform attaching wires to electrical boxes. The employee fell approximately 8 feet to the floor below and struck an exit sign on the way down, resulting in an injury to his face.
An employee was in a forklift man basket fixing a garage door opener when they fell approximately 8 feet to the concrete ground below. The employee suffered head and back injuries as well as kidney bruising.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 331314)
On July 29, 2025, an employee working near a metal furnace. Toward the end of his shift, he was charging a furnace and began to experienced heat exhaustion. He had also been in areas of elevated temperatures due to heat sources such as direct sunlight and a combustion engine. The employee was hospitalized with dehydration.
An employee was using a pry bar to remove a piece of aluminum cone from a mold on the cone line. The cone broke loose and the employee's left middle finger was caught between the pry bar and the cone line frame. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated.
An employee was machining a trunnion using a grinding rig when their left hand was caught between the grinding stone and the trunnion, resulting in fractures to the middle, ring, and little fingers, as well as severe damage to the skin and amputations of the middle and ring fingers to the distal knuckle.
On August 7, 2024, a maintenance technician was descending a fixed cage ladder when the ladder broke and they fell approximately 12 feet to the concrete ground. The employee sustained head injuries and fractured ribs.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.