Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Opal Foods, LLC, 9575 WCR 73, ROGGEN, COLORADO 80652
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was working on a manure scraper pulley. The employee lifted the cover on the motor with the belt and pulley and grabbed the belt to check its tension. The motor turned on and the employee's finger was caught between the belt and the pulley. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
AmputationFingertip(s)Agricultural and garden machinery, n.e.c.
An employee was on a ladder installing a tankless hot water heater. While descending the ladder, the employee missed a step and fell, suffering a laceration to the head and a brain bleed.
The employee was winding a winch cable. He was guiding the cable with his left hand when, by mistake, he pressed the activation pedal and his left middle finger got caught in the winch cable resulting in amputation above the first joint.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 112310)
Three employees were transferring a metal lid using a manual chain hoist to place it onto a cart. While they were adjusting its position, the lid shifted and the injured employee's left hand became caught between the hoist hook and the handle, resulting in a laceration and amputation of their ring fingertip including the tuft.
An employee was using an 8-foot metal pipe to remove a manure blockage at the transfer to an incline conveyer. The employee s left hand was placed on top of the pipe while removing the blockage. The pipe pushed their left hand into the wooden railing of the platform they were standing on, catching their thumb in a pinch point and resulting in partial amputation.
An employee was driving a farm truck with the dump box raised when he went through a farm building accessway and the dump box struck the entryway of the building. The truck lifted up and came back down, jolting the employee. The employee sustained a back injury.
An employee was doing housekeeping work inside a chicken house. The employee missed a step onto a walkway near the exit, fell into an 8-foot-deep pit, and landed on its concrete floor. The employee suffered a leg fracture above the ankle, as well as a chin laceration.
An employee was troubleshooting a manure belt to figure out why it kept turning off. The employee's right hand was pulled into the drive and compression roller of the long belt in the manure belt system, resulting in numerous injuries to their hand and forearm, including a partial amputation of the middle finger and a degloved palm.
An employee was delivering materials. He was doing his pre-delivery inspection on the roof of the jobsite (a warehouse) when he fell through a plexiglass skylight. He landed on his feet on the concrete floor 14 feet below. The employee sustained fractures to his spine, left ulnar/radius, and right heel. The employee required surgery.
An employee was removing packaging from a roll of printing substrate. The blade of their utility knife got stuck. The employee used both hands to free the knife and the blade partially amputated their left little fingertip.
A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.
An employee was standing on an extension ladder, using a torquing tool to remove bolts that secured blades to a rotor. When the torquing tool activated, its reaction arm came around and pinched the employee's right middle finger against a lifting eye. His fingertip was amputated.