Contact with hot objects or substances · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Keystone Foods LLC, 2281 Steele Station Road, GADSDEN, ALABAMA 35906
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the upper and lower limb(s).
Final narrative
An employee was trying to unclog a floor drain. He knelt down on his right knee and inserted the nozzle on a hose into the drain. When he opened the valve, water from the hose and drain (heated to 130-131 degrees Fahrenheit) splashed onto his left arm and into his right boot. He suffered a second-degree burn to the left forearm, right shin, and the top of the right foot.
An employee was performing housekeeping duties. She reached under a piece of equipment to clear some product when her left hand got caught in a motor belt, resulting in a partial amputation of the index finger.
An employee was adjusting the belt for a breader machine when the machine's lid came down on their left hand, resulting in a partial amputation to the middle finger and hospitalization.
On December 28, 2024, an employee was adding caustic soda beads to the oven clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning system when he was splashed by hot chemicals. The employee sustained burns to his face and ear from the caustic soda beads.
On December 26, 2024, at approximately 11:00 PM, two employees sustained second- and third-degree burns when a boiler exploded as they were gathering tools and supplies following a repair to the boiler system pump. Both employees were hospitalized.
An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.
An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.
An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.
An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311615)
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.
An employee was troubleshooting a thigh deboner on a poultry processing line. As he worked to dislodge a thigh bone caught in the blade mechanism, the machine amputated the first and second digits on his left hand. He was hospitalized.
On September 25, 2025, an employee was exiting a yard truck. They slipped and fell approximately 3 feet from the top tread of the steps to the concrete below. The employee sustained a fractured left hip.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift, picking product for an order. The forklift struck a metal rack and the employee's left arm was caught between the forklift and the rack. He was hospitalized with a fracture to the neck of his radius and an open fracture to the olecranon (elbow).
An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.