Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CATERPILLAR INC., 901 W WASHINGTON STREET, EAST PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61611
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
On May 27, 2022, an employee was installing a pump and a motor onto a wash tank after it had been removed for repair using an overhead crane, an eyebolt and a lifting strap. While the employee was maneuvering the pump into its final placement, the employee placed their hand underneath the load to align a gasket prior to setting the pump and motor in place. While adjusting the gasket, the eye bolt broke causing the pump and motor to fall onto the employee's right hand fingers, resulting in a fracture and partial fingertip amputation to the right middle finger.
On September 13, 2025, an employee had been working at an outdoor event. At the end the day, she was walking around outside the facility to make sure everything was put away and felt overheated. The employee was hospitalized for heat-related illness.
On September 5, 2025, at approximately 7:35 AM, a temporary employee was at the engine block rollover machine. Their left index fingertip was caught and amputated between a pneumatic part and a guard.
On June 27, 2025, at approximately 8:35 AM, an employee was operating a box maker machine when their left middle fingertip was caught by a chain and sprocket. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated without loss of bone or the fingernail.
An employee had just put a dock plate in place. While stepping back over the plate, the employee tripped and fell onto it. The employee suffered a broken hip.
An employee was transporting an 800-pound die on a cart from the tool room. The employee was pulling the cart when it struck a metal plate on the floor. This caused the cart to tip forward and the die to slide off the cart. The die struck the employee's left foot and their second toe was amputated.
An employee was using a forklift to load pallets of product on a trailer. He exited the forklift to adjust a pallet by hand. The pallet fell on him, resulting in an injury to the left leg.
An employee was lifting a 500-pound steel counterweight off a pallet using a magnetic hold jib crane. The counterweight detached from the crane and the employee sustained a left foot/toe fracture that required surgery.
An employee was using a pipe wrench to turn a 42-foot-long steel pipe on jack stands to weld the bottom portion. The pipe fell off the stands, striking the injured employee on his left shin. The employee sustained a left leg fracture at the shin area as well as a tibia fracture that required surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 333120)
An employee was working behind a stack of steel I-beams (stacked 2 columns deep and 4 levels high on the floor) while a forklift was pushing the stack. When the forklift took off the second-to-last beam, the last one was pushed over, causing it to fall to the ground and strike the employee. The employee sustained a fracture to the right leg.
An employee was lifting a flat sub (sheet steel) in the flats robot cell (weld area). He was operating a hoist when his left little fingertip got caught between the lifting device hook and the flat sub. The employee sustained a partial transphalangeal amputation.
An employee was underneath a 35-foot boom truck and adjusting the transmission linkage when the truck jumped over the wheel chocks and rolled over the employee's right leg, resulting in a fracture.
A crane was being used to lift a debris tank from a rack. The tank crushed the employee's right hand, causing amputations to the employee's right ring finger and little fingertip.
An employee was removing a small sheet metal part out of the die of the brake press. The foot pedal was pressed, causing the part to lift and crush their left thumb against the die. The employee suffered an amputation to the thumb tip including the loss of flesh and the fingernail.
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.