Small-scale (limited) fire · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Gold Star FS, Inc., 13517 70th Street West, TAYLOR RIDGE, ILLINOIS 61284
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the face, unspecified.
Final narrative
At about 9:30 a.m. on March 14, 2022, an employee was using an oxygen/acetylene cutting torch to remove an old grain hopper from its frame. The torch caused a flash inside the hopper. The flame came through the hole the employee had created and burned the employee's face. The employee suffered second-degree burns and was hospitalized.
On October 22, 2022, an employee was using a floater to apply dry fertilizer. The vehicle hit a small bump, then a ditch. It bounced, and the employee suffered a burst fracture to the L1 vertebra. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was standing on a bag of bentonite clay composite when it ignited and the employee's pants leg caught on fire. The employee then went to remove a gasoline can from a dual-axle trailer and sustained burns to his arms, right hand, and the right side of his abdomen.
Two employees were working on an empty above-ground 2,500-barrel crude oil tank. Employee 1 was welding while employee 2 was watching. Employee 1 saw fire behind the welding smoke and notified employee 2. Before they could get off the tank, they both fell in the tank and sustained burns from the fire.
An employee was pressing pyrotechnic composition into pellets using a pressure tablet press. Upon pouring the composition into the small hopper, the composition ignited and produced a flash fire. The employee sustained bilateral burns to the hands and face.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 424910)
An employee was fixing an issue with seed cleaning equipment when he slipped on the ladder he was on. He went to catch himself and his hand went into a moving belt and pulley on the cleaner. The employee sustained the amputation of his right middle and index fingertips just below the fingernails.
At about 5:30 p.m. on September 23, 2025, an employee was unloading rubber mix material from a mixer. The employee's hand was caught by rotating parts in a discharge chute, causing a partial, soft-tissue amputation to a fingertip.
An employee was walking around a customer's truck. The truck door opened and caused the employee to trip and fall on a salt pallet. The employee suffered a compound fracture to the left arm.
An employee had delivered product to a customer and was driving a forklift to the rear of the delivery truck. The forklift jumped/bounced, sending the employee up into the air and back down onto the seat. The employee sustained a back fracture.
An employee was climbing an inspection ladder to observe the inside of a hopper. He slipped on the fourth rung, fell backward, and landed on his right foot on the ground about 38 inches below, suffering a broken right ankle.
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.