Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Plastipak Packaging, Inc., 18015 ST. RT. 65, JACKSON CENTER, OHIO 45334
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
On June 14, 2022, an employee was adjusting the height of the work table on the box strapper. The employee loosened the bolts on the carriage and had their left hand resting in the area beneath the unit. The table dropped, resulting in distal tip amputations to their middle and ring fingers.
On July 31, 2024, two employees were working to raise a base mold into its position on a blow molding machine. The injured employee lifted up on the base mold with his right hand and was holding the support when a second employee used a metal bar to lift the base into its fully-raised position. The injured employee's fingers were caught between the base support and the mold-holding unit resulting in the amputation of their right ring fingertip.
An employee was troubleshooting a loose chain on a conveyor belt when their left index finger was pulled into a sprocket and the fingertip was amputated.
On September 8, 2022, an employee was installing the top rail on a guardrail system. The employee's right index finger was pinched between the guardrail and a post, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was doing maintenance work in a tunnel under a production line. The employee fell approximately 9 feet through an open manhole, landed on the concrete level below, and suffered neck and back injuries.
While taking a level reading from a silo, an employee stepped out and slipped on a mixture of condensation and mud. The employee fell to the ground and sustained three broken ankle bones.
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 326160)
An employee was watching as a technician worked with a machine. The machine's parts were manually moved while the employee's hand was inside the machine, and his fingertip was amputated. The incident took place during a training activity.
On October 14, 2025, an employee was on a step platform showing another employee the support bracket for a blow pin assembly on a blow molding machine that needed repaired. The blow pin assembly came up and pinched the injured employee's right middle finger, resulting in a broken finger and a laceration to the top of the hand.
On August 22, 2025, an employee was helping to move a 700-pound compressor cylinder cap head into position to slide down the bolt holes onto the bottom half of the cylinder. When a bolt hole aligned, his left index fingertip was caught in it. The cap came down and amputated the fingertip.
A maintenance employee was working on a conveyor when his thumb was caught in the chain/sprocket area causing an amputation to the thumb tip. The machine was running at the time of the incident.
On March 20, 2025, at approximately 11:02 AM, an employee was shrink wrapping a pallet when he lost his balance and fell to ground. The employee sustained a hip and leg injury that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was working to deliver mail to an apartment building. She was waiting for a customer to move, to obtain clearance to the mailboxes. The door swung inward and closed on her right little finger. The top half of her finger was surgically amputated.
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
An employee was setting up communication equipment for a meeting. They were walking and tripped over a speaker on the ground. The employee sustained a leg injury.