Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Interlake Mecalux, Inc., 1600 N. 25th Ave., MELROSE PARK, ILLINOIS 60160
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was using a crane with a C-hook to move a coil so it could be mounted to a machine. During the lift, the employee's hand was crushed by the handle on the C-hook, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
On August 13, 2025, an employee was feeding wire through a junction box to feed a 120-volt circuit near a 480-volt bus duct. The bus duct suddenly combusted, and the employee suffered burns to his left hand and upper body. He was hospitalized.
An employee was placing sheet metal into a roll forming machine when their finger was crushed under a clamp. The employee's left index finger was partially amputated.
An employee collected a bundle from a tower on a forklift. The employee was moving away from the falling load, resulting in a fractured pelvis and left knee.
An employee was re-installing a transmission on a roll-forming machine that processes steel coil into beams. The transmission weighed approximately 45 pounds. During the installation, the employee's right little finger got caught between the transmission and its housing. The employee suffered an amputation of approximately the first centimeter of his finger.
An employee was loading a cart with finished steel frames for a pallet rack when they noticed a frame on the cart with a loose diagonal support. The employee raised the frame up to fix it when the frame fell and caught his left ring fingertip. The employee suffered a partial amputation.
An employee was operating a forklift and unloading a truck. After the truck was unloaded, the employee got off the forklift and proceeded to adjust the dock plate with a hook tool. The dock plate slipped and the employee went to adjust the plate with their hand when their left middle finger got caught. Their finger was amputated above the first joint.
An employee was rotating a carbide granulator blade when his finger was caught between the blade and a stationary part of the machine. The employee's right middle finger was partially amputated and they suffered an avulsion to the right ring fingertip.
An employee was using a CNC metal lathe machine in manual mode to check that the thread blocking tool made contact with the jaws. As the employee was manually spinning the spindle, his index fingertip was crushed between the spindle's jaws and the grooving insert, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
During a material handling operation, an employee's fingertip was caught under an air conditioning unit as the unit was lowered onto a cart. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
An employee was removing a bolt from a tractor hub when their right index finger was caught between the hub and the frame. The employee's fingertip was crushed and the employee was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 332313)
A steel tube fell from a straddle truck onto an employee's foot, causing the steel toe of the employee's shoe to press into the employee's left foot. The employee sustained fractured phalanges and was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading materials from the back of a flatbed trailer. The employee fell off the back of the trailer approximately 4 feet to the ground below, resulting in a fractured left collarbone and fractured ribs. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was bending material in a mechanical brake press when the press rotated and caught his right hand. His finger was crushed between the die and a steel plate, resulting in amputation of the finger.
An employee was cleaning pans containing adhesive by pouring acetone into the pans. After soaking, the employee used a plastic spatula to scrape the paint from the pan. During scraping, a fire spontaneously started underneath the employee near the pan. The employee threw the container of acetone out of the way to avoid it catching on fire, and spilled acetone onto his clothing, causing the fire to spread. The employee suffered burns to both hands and the right calf.
The injured employee was assisting a co-worker to transfer a V-baffle (large piece of angle iron weighing 736 lbs.) into a vessel shell. The injured employee stepped off the end of the vessel and fell backward. The employee sustained a dislocated left shoulder, a fractured left wrist, a fractured lower right leg, and a laceration to the left eyebrow.
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.