Fall through surface or existing opening 11 to 15 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Nestle USA, Inc, 61 Jerseyville Avenue, FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 07728
on — Fractures, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
An employee was using a hoist to lift a piece of equipment from the first floor of the prechill room to the second floor through a section of grating on hinges in the floor about 3 ft. by 6 ft. After the piece of the equipment had been lifted through the hole, the employee fell through the open space onto the floor 12 ft. below and suffered multiple fractures.
While cleaning a conveyor, a temporary employee came into contact with a drive wheel on the conveyor's chain and sprocket. The employee required surgical amputations to the right ring and little fingers.
An employee was performing a clean-in-place process and took pipes apart. The pipes contained pressurized hot water that burned the employee's head, neck, and back.
An employee was changing a valve on a mixing kettle when a cleaning chemical leaked from the valve onto the employee's left hip, resulting in a chemical burn.
An employee was using a foaming unit to sanitize floors before rinsing. He was investigating a noise from the unit when it sprayed sanitizing solution into his eyes, burning them.
An employee was checking an HVAC unit in the attic when they fell approximately 15 feet through the rafters to the floor. The employee sustained fractures to the ribs and scapula as well as a collapsed lung.
An employee was removing grating to change metal chip hoppers located in a pit. The employee lost his balance and fell approximately 12 feet from the grate, landing in the metal chip hopper. The employee sustained a sprained right foot, a left foot fracture, and a fractured L5 vertebra.
An employee was reviewing the next steps to take with the foreman when some material fell from above and landed near them. The injured employee then looked up, took a step on the catwalk, and fell through a gap, landing on the ground 15 feet below. The employee sustained three fractured vertebrae and a head laceration.
0n November 16, 2023, an employee was climbing onto a catwalk to cut valves for unit heaters in a building. The employee fell 14 feet through the attic onto the concrete floor, resulting in a fractured pelvis.
An employee was removing a rooftop curb when they fell approximately 15 feet through an opening in the roof, resulting in a fractured leg that required hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311999)
An employee was reaching for a piece of angle iron when it fell onto his hand, which was on a table to support him as he reached for the overhead rack. He suffered a broken finger and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was working to open the liftgate on the back of a delivery truck. His left middle finger was pinched between the gate and its frame, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was installing fence posts when they stepped into a recently dug hole that was not visible due to rainfall. The employee's leg was fractured.
An employee assisted in cleaning material from a conveyor pit. After the pit was cleaned, the employee proceeded to replace metal safety plates to ensure other employees did not fall into the pit. While replacing one of the last plates, the employee mis-stepped and fell approximately 5 feet into the pit. The employee was hospitalized with back/side bruising, elbow bruising, bone bruises, and/or fractured ribs.
An employee was walking on the sidewalk. When they stepped off the curb, they fell to the ground, resulting in fractures to their tibia, fibula, and a metatarsal.