Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Simmons Prepared Foods, 9802 State Highway 59, GENTRY, ARKANSAS 72734
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
Two employees were using a water hose to unclog a heart and liver separator machine. The machine was turned on while one employee's hand was inside it, and an auger under it amputated the tip of his right index finger. He was hospitalized.
An employee was cleaning the line at shift change when she noticed a piece of chicken hanging from the drip pan underneath the incline conveyor. The employee went to remove the piece of chicken and contacted the belt, resulting in a partial left thumb amputation.
An employee was in an attic service space to perform maintenance when they bumped their head on an I-beam and fell back. The employee sustained a back sprain and a laceration to the forehead.
At 8:20 p.m. on September 14, 2018, an employee was descending a ladder when he fell into a small cart, suffering an injury. He was hospitalized for surgery.
An employee was hosing down and cleaning a concrete curb machine when the hose got caught and his hand was pulled into the auger of the machine, resulting in fractures and amputations of the right ring and little fingers.
An employee was using a machine to fill bags with birdseed. The employee was clearing a stuck bag under the machine when the bag cutter amputated the employee's fingertip.
A temporary employee was helping an operator remove jammed laminations from a press machine when their right ring finger got pinched between the laminations and the brake of the chute, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee had just serviced a radiator on a concrete machine. During the final check on the machine, the employee was adjusting a hose when a fan caught his right index finger. The finger was amputated at the second knuckle.
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 operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
On October 25, 2025, an employee was stringing up a new reel of tire tread on a machine. The employee pulled a 6-inch tail and proceeded to spool up the liner. As the machine was jogged to begin the liner wrapping process, the liner caught the employee's glove and pulled their right arm into the liner, causing a fracture to the arm.
An employee was doing a cable change on top of an electric overhead traveling (EOT) crane. They were positioned between the cable drum and the drive shaft. While rotating the cable drum, the employee reached for the new cable that was to be installed. The grease fitting on the drive shaft caught their fall harness and pulled them underneath the drive shaft. The employee was pinned between the drive shaft and two pieces of angle steel, resulting in a fracture to their left hip.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.