Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Commercial Metals Company, 9625 Florida Mining Blvd. E., JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32257
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
On February 11, 2022, an employee was using an overhead crane to lift a hopper full of scraps to empty it in a dumpster that measured 40 feet long and 2 feet high. Since the dumpster was not completely full, the hopper did not dump forward, so the employee went inside the dumpster and attempted to rock the hopper. He exited the dumpster and used the overhead crane to turn the hopper to the rear of the dumpster. He then stood on the right side of the dumpster while holding onto the lifting yoke for the hopper with his right hand. While holding the yoke arm for balance, he attempted to tip the bucket by rocking it back and forth. As the bucket dumped scrap metal, his right ring finger got caught between the yoke arm and the yoke stop plate of the hopper, resulting in an amputation of the fingertip without bone loss.
A rolling mill was shut down due to a cobble between two mill stands. The injured employee was cleaning the cobble from the delivery side of stand A, while another employee went to the control panel to move stand B and stand A moved instead. The injured employee's right thumb got caught between the delivery guide of stand A and the looper trough. The tip of his thumb required surgical amputation to the bone to allow for stitches.
A truck driver was walking on top of a load of logs to remove tarps. He approached the edge to prepare for dismounting. He stepped on a sideboard that shifted, causing him to fall to the ground. He sustained a cut to the top of his head that required five stitches, fractures to his right forearm, and a dislocated right elbow.
An employee entered the baghouse to take dust samples from a compartment. When he entered the building there was baghouse dust approximately 12 inches deep on the floor. The employee walked through the dust about 5 feet when he noticed the layer of dust beneath the top was hot and felt his feet burning. Heated dust had entered the top of his boot and worked downward until resting underneath the arch of his right foot causing burns to the bottom of his foot.
An employee was using a crane to move a 6-by-60-foot bundle of rebar from a stock rack to production lines. The employee placed the crane remote on an adjacent bundle and was placing the wire sling under the suspended bundle when the remote control slid off the adjacent bundle and fell under the suspended bundle. The employee reached under the suspended bundle when the bundle tie wire suddenly broke. The bundle fell onto the employee's right hand, resulting in a crushed and fractured hand.
An employee was working between railcars on an active railroad track to connect the airbrake. Another employee moved the railcars, striking and running over the employee resulting in amputation of both legs.
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 423930)
An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.
An employee was checking on a machine outside of the building and removed a cover to clean out a blocked area. His hand was caught by a rotary valve in a dust collection machine. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
A shear operator's hand and fingers were caught in a machine's point of operation. The operator's right index finger was crushed and was partially medically amputated.
An employee was operating a forklift. He parked on a ramp and got off the forklift to retrieve material, at which point the forklift rolled backward and ran over his leg. The leg was broken and he was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.