Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at J.M. Smucker Company, 1050 Stanton Road, RIPON, WISCONSIN 54971
on — Fractures, affecting the wrist(s).
Final narrative
On February 7, 2022, an employee was cutting plastic straps off a pallet of cardboard. The employee was pulling on a strap that was stuck when it abruptly came apart, causing the employee to fall on the floor and fracture a wrist. The employee was hospitalized for an adverse reaction to the prescribed medication.
An employee was pulling on a bale of corrugated cardboard boxes that were on a conveyor. The straps on the bale failed and the employee fell to the floor. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery for a fractured femur and/or hip.
On December 27, 2023, an employee was delivering mail to an apartment complex when their knee gave out and they fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a left tibia fracture.
An employee was walking to the inventory cage when her ankle gave out and she fell to the floor. The employee sustained a femur fracture and was hospitalized.
An employee was dislodging a pallet that was stuck when boxes of product fell onto them, causing them to fall to the ground. The employee suffered a fractured femur.
An employee was adjusting the tension on the fruit distribution conveyor belt. While testing the tension, the employee's left hand/arm was pulled into the rollers. The employee's lower left arm was fractured.
Forklift drivers were unloading product from a semi trailer. One employee stopped their forklift about 15-20 feet from the back of the trailer, got out, and began adjusting the forklift's forks. Another forklift backed into the employee, who suffered a compound fracture of the left tibia and was hospitalized.
An employee was in the janitorial closet rearranging the janitor's cart. She stepped back and tripped over the wheel of the cart, causing her to fall to the ground and sustain a fractured hip.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.