Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at American Airlines Inc., LaGuardia Airport Terminal B, EAST ELMHURST, NEW YORK 11371
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was connecting a cart to a tractor when the latch got stuck and the tongue fell forward, crushing the employee's left middle finger, which resulted in a fingertip amputation.
AmputationFingertip(s)Vehicle and mobile equipment parts, n.e.c.
An employee was driving a baggage-tugging vehicle when it collided with another baggage-tugging vehicle, nearly head-on. The two vehicles came to rest parallel to each other, with the employee's leg caught between them. The employee suffered a broken femur that required hospitalization.
An employee was wing-walking the right wing of an aircraft. The employee tripped over chocks on the ground, fell, and landed on their right wrist, breaking it.
On May 25, 2025, at approximately 10:42 p.m., the injured employee was standing in front of a cargo loader while another employee was operating a tug with a dolly and cargo that was to be loaded onto a passenger plane. As the operator reversed the tug, the injured employee was pinned between the dolly and the loader. The employee suffered crushing injuries to their lower legs, including a fracture to one leg and hospitalization.
An employee was operating rolling hangar doors to prepare for aircraft that were coming into the mechanic shop for repairs. The employee was trapped between the hangar door and the protruding building wall, resulting in four broken ribs, a punctured lung, a bruised liver, a fractured spine, a tear in his right shoulder, and a tear in his right knee. The employee was hospitalized.
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 481111)
An employee was clearing a jam on the airport baggage system conveyor when his left leg became caught between slats of the conveyor. The employee sustained fractures and tissue damage to his lower leg, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was helping offload an aircraft. She was standing in the opening between a parked cart and an unoccupied aircraft tug when another vehicle struck a stationary bag cart, which then struck her. The employee suffered a skull fracture near the right eye, a right kneecap fracture, a nose fracture, and sinus damage, as well as soft tissue damage to the left calf and hip. She was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was working to refuel a truck. While handling the fuel hose(s), she experienced pain in her stomach. After completing the task, the employee drove back to the pad and the movement aggravated her abdominal pain. The employee was hospitalized with an abdominal sprain/strain.
An employee was on a jetway overseeing the operation. As the jet bridge was retracted, the employee's left arm was caught between the jet bridge side walls. The employee sustained a degloving to their left forearm.
An employee was descending a fixed ladder on the side of a container loader. The employee fell from the ladder, landing on the ground about 6-8 feet below and sustained fractures to their back and pelvis.
An employee was operating a battery-powered broom to clean demolition debris off the top of the outermost bridge girder. The girder was approximately 11 feet above the demolition scaffold below. The employee fell approximately 8 feet to wind bracing below. The employee was hospitalized with a pelvis/tailbone fracture. Fall protection was in place at the time.
An employee slipped while descending in a stairwell, fell, and suffered multiple contusions/bruises to the head, neck, shoulders, knees, and back. She was hospitalized.
An employee was directing trucks as they entered and left a highway work zone. A vehicle struck them, resulting in multiple fractures and other injuries. The employee was hospitalized.