Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Hershey Chocolate & Confectionery Corporation, 1401 WEST MAIN STREET, ROBINSON, ILLINOIS 62454
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
On 09/24/2021, at approximately 4:30 PM, three employees were cleaning a toffee cooker. The toffee cooker consists of an upper plate and a lower plate that are raised and lowered to separate the cooker. The toffee cooker was locked out/tagged out. Once the toffee cooker was cleaned, the gasket was installed and it was ready to be closed up. Lockout/tagout was removed. The injured employee reached to adjust the seal as the lower piece come up into place and their right little finger got caught between the lower plate and the alignment pin, resulting in an amputation below the first knuckle. The machine was not guarded at the time.
HospitalizedAmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Heating and cooking machinery and appliances, n.e.c.
More severe injuries at Hershey Chocolate & Confectionery Corporation
On April 22, 2024, at about 8:20 AM, an employee was cleaning fudge and caramel build-up from the underside of the grate of a peanut chain conveyor on a forming machine. The conveyor caught their right index fingertip between a puck and the metal opening to the conveyor tube, resulting in an amputation.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311340)
Candy fell inside a conveyor and caused a jam. An employee was clearing the jam when his right bicep was lacerated and he was hospitalized. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was performing sanitation on top of a bagger machine mezzanine that was 98 inches above ground. The top of the bagger mezzanine was accessed using a rolling safety ladder that was welded in place. The employee was coming down the ladder carrying a a 5-gallon bucket when they slipped and fell to the floor, suffering a broken neck and right index finger.
An employee was pushing a cart of raw centers back into the oven and was pushing down latches on the cart with his fingers while another associate pushed the stack of mogul boards back into the oven. The stack sits on rollers. The employee's fingers were not clear of the shear area and his left middle fingertip was amputated between the metal framed mogul board pallet and the cart latch area.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift and driving behind a sit-down forklift when they contacted the rear of the sit-down forklift. The employee's left foot was caught between the two forklifts and fractured, and they had skin tear on their lower leg.
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.