Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Avulsions, enucleations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Cargill, Inc., 730 E Randall Wobbe Ln, SPRINGDALE, ARKANSAS 72764
on — Avulsions, enucleations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
At about 8:40 p.m. on August 8, 2022, an employee was loading a "horn and cone" (a thin stainless steel tube with a cone) with a netting roll. The employee was removing the horn when the netting tail become entangled and wrapped around the wheel and shaft of the brush, which rotated at about 90 revolutions per minute. The employee was trying to remove the netting when their right hand became entangled in it and was pulled into the rotating shaft. The employee suffered a compound fracture to the little finger and a partial degloving.
An employee was conducting preventive maintenance on a decline conveyor, spraying lubricant on its tension rollers, when his left arm was caught by the conveyor system and pulled between the roller and the belt. He suffered a fracture to the wrist and two fractures to the forearm.
An employee was bringing a filter online. When the employee opened a valve to initiate flow through the filter, the gasket on the filter housing failed, spraying a water/erythritol mixture (heated to about 175 degrees Fahrenheit) toward the employee. The employee moved back quickly and their chemical suit caught on something, causing it to open. The mixture burned the employee's abdomen and left arm.
An employee was replacing the exhaust fan above the scalding area when their finger became pinched in the exhaust fan shroud. The employee sustained amputation of the distal tuft of their right middle finger with bone loss.
On July 17, 2024, an employee was trying to retrieve his knife from the bottom of a sterilizer. Water in the sterilizer, heated to 180 degrees, entered the employee's right glove and burned his palm and the top of his hand. He was hospitalized.
An employee was waiting for the elevator to get to the floor that he worked on. The employee went to step through the elevator door, but the elevator lift was not there, causing him to fall 20 feet to the basement below. The employee sustained fractures in both legs, the right heel, and lower vertebrae. He was hospitalized.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311615)
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.
An employee was troubleshooting a thigh deboner on a poultry processing line. As he worked to dislodge a thigh bone caught in the blade mechanism, the machine amputated the first and second digits on his left hand. He was hospitalized.
On September 25, 2025, an employee was exiting a yard truck. They slipped and fell approximately 3 feet from the top tread of the steps to the concrete below. The employee sustained a fractured left hip.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift, picking product for an order. The forklift struck a metal rack and the employee's left arm was caught between the forklift and the rack. He was hospitalized with a fracture to the neck of his radius and an open fracture to the olecranon (elbow).
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
On October 25, 2025, an employee was stringing up a new reel of tire tread on a machine. The employee pulled a 6-inch tail and proceeded to spool up the liner. As the machine was jogged to begin the liner wrapping process, the liner caught the employee's glove and pulled their right arm into the liner, causing a fracture to the arm.
An employee was doing a cable change on top of an electric overhead traveling (EOT) crane. They were positioned between the cable drum and the drive shaft. While rotating the cable drum, the employee reached for the new cable that was to be installed. The grease fitting on the drive shaft caught their fall harness and pulled them underneath the drive shaft. The employee was pinned between the drive shaft and two pieces of angle steel, resulting in a fracture to their left hip.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.