Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Lawler Foods, LTD, 2200 S. Houston Ave., HUMBLE, TEXAS 77396
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
After setting up equipment that deposits cake batter into a pan an employee was investigating why batter was overflowing in the pans. She moved a pan under the depositor to catch the batter. As she did this, the piston for the depositor engaged and pinched the tip of her right pinky finger in the opening where the batter is discharged, resulting in an amputation of the fingertip.
AmputationFingertip(s)Food and beverage processing machinery-specialized, n.e.c.
An employee was cleaning the belt to a metal detector. While she was cleaning underneath the machine, the roller to the belt grabbed the towel she was using and pulled her right hand and forearm into the roller, causing an open right upper extremity fracture. The conveyor was not turned off at the time of the incident.
An employee was working on a production line when the employee stepped back and tripped over the edge of a pallet that was sitting on the floor. The employee fell to the concrete floor and fractured the right hip, requiring hospitalization.
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 311813)
An employee was attempting to straighten a wooden pallet with a bar. The pallet was positioned on top of a frame conveyor system 1 foot off of the ground. While maneuvering the bar, the employee lost balance and fell backward onto the concrete floor, extending their right hand to catch themselves as they fell. The employee suffered two fractured bones in their wrist and one fractured bone in their right hand.
An employee was working near a conveyor when his left middle finger was caught in the conveyor. The employee required surgery and their finger was partially amputated.
An employee was filling a hopper that deposited blueberries in muffin trays. Two plastic plates inside the equipment closed, pinching and amputating the employee's left ring fingertip. The equipment was running and unguarded at the time.
An employee was returning a catch pan to a machine after dumping fruit out of it. The employee's hand was caught in a roller in the conveyor area of the fruit inspection line, and the employee's right arm was broken.
An employee had been using soap and a towel to clean a slicer. They were finishing the cleaning procedure when the power switch was activated. The slicer turned on while the employee's right ring finger was in the blade gap and the blade amputated their fingertip without bone loss.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.