Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Western States Automation LLC, 4647 N Fenton St, BOISE, IDAHO 83714
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was using compressed air to open a butterfly valve. When the air stopped, the valve closed on the employee's thumb and amputated the tip.
AmputationFingertip(s)Valves, nozzles
More severe injuries at Western States Automation LLC
An employee was operating a forklift and unloading a truck. After the truck was unloaded, the employee got off the forklift and proceeded to adjust the dock plate with a hook tool. The dock plate slipped and the employee went to adjust the plate with their hand when their left middle finger got caught. Their finger was amputated above the first joint.
An employee was rotating a carbide granulator blade when his finger was caught between the blade and a stationary part of the machine. The employee's right middle finger was partially amputated and they suffered an avulsion to the right ring fingertip.
An employee was using a CNC metal lathe machine in manual mode to check that the thread blocking tool made contact with the jaws. As the employee was manually spinning the spindle, his index fingertip was crushed between the spindle's jaws and the grooving insert, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
During a material handling operation, an employee's fingertip was caught under an air conditioning unit as the unit was lowered onto a cart. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
An employee was removing a bolt from a tractor hub when their right index finger was caught between the hub and the frame. The employee's fingertip was crushed and the employee was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 332911)
An employee was repositioning a large casting with a chain. The chain slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in hospitalization with a fracture to his upper arm and a crushing injury to his thumb.
An employee was performing a machine set-up and had installed one set of holding jaws. His right index finger became caught in an air vise while re-clamping a part. The employee sustained a partial amputation above the fingernail.
Two employees were re-packing a butterfly valve. The valve was being held by a crane. An employee added air to the valve to close it. The valve moved and the other employee reached to steady it. His thumb was caught in the valve and the thumb tip was amputated.
An employee was preparing to install a production tree/master valve. The employee grabbed the bull plug and shook the production tree into place. The well blew out on the casing side. The pressure caused the production tree to fall over onto the employee, resulting in a fractured right leg.
An employee was manually moving a 30-pound valve. When he sat the valve down, it crushed his left index fingertip just above the nail and amputated it.
An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
An employee was standing on a multi-purpose ladder installing head flashing over a window. Their feet were approximately 6 feet off the ground and three rungs from the top. The employee lost their grip on the drill they were using and the ladder tipped over. The employee fell from the ladder to the ground, resulting in a fractured left wrist, bruised chest, and lacerations to their face and lip.
An employee was inspecting the overhead area of a single-person lift and repositioning the lift through a double doorway. As they were transitioning through the doorway, they were caught between the doorframe and the vertical mast of the lift. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to the nose, left maxillary sinus, left orbital bone, and left jaw, with fractures at the maxillary sinus area.
An employee was loading a 4-inch wooden door into a pickup truck when he felt a pop in his right side behind his shoulder blade. He was hospitalized later that day and underwent surgery, having suffered a collapsed right lung.