Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Associated Milk Producers Inc, 127 Commercial Avenue West, HOVEN, SOUTH DAKOTA 57450
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was operating a cheese curd auger and was attempting to clear cheese from the chute when his right ring finger was caught by the auger, causing a partial amputation of the distal portion of the finger.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), unspecifiedFood and beverage processing machinery-specialized, n.e.c.
More severe injuries at Associated Milk Producers Inc
An employee was checking inventory in the warehouse. They walked out from between racking and were struck by the mast of a forklift that was going forward. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their nose, ribs, and toes.
On June 11, 2025, at approximately 12:35 PM, an assistant cheese maker was unplugging cheese from the star valve on a machine when their left middle finger made contact with the rotating valve. The employee sustained a fingertip amputation.
On June 8, 2025, a filler operator walked down the stairs to go to their work station. They were walking when they tripped over a cart next to the freezer and fell on the floor. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture to their left shoulder/clavicle.
On September 12, 2023, two employees were placing a preassembled box on the box wrapping machine. The top plate of the wrapping machine lowered unevenly onto the box and the employees went to fix it so that the top plate was square with the box. The top plate then pinched the injured employee's right ring finger between the plate and the top of the box frame, resulting in amputation of the fingertip and a tuft fracture.
On July 19, 2021, an employee was working on the clean-in-place (CIP) system and was burned on the chest, stomach, arm, and leg by pressurized hot liquid.
An employee was sharpening peeler blades when their shirt was caught in the grinding wheel. The employee sustained tendon damage and a crushed right hand.
An employee was preparing to cut lumber on a panel saw when the clamp engaged and caught the employee's left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311513)
An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was changing an O-ring on a pneumatic valve. The employee had placed the valve on his work cart and was applying air to open the valve and access the O-ring. After changing the O-ring, the valve closed on his fingertip, crushing it. He was taken to the hospital, where he received an amputation.
An employee was using a pike to move a pallet of sugar that was stuck in the powder racking. The employee fell backward, landing on his right leg. The employee's leg was fractured and he was hospitalized.
The injured employee was carrying totes of cheese when they tripped over another employee's foot/ankle and fell to the cement floor. The injured employee sustained six fractured ribs on the left side and was hospitalized.
An employee was moving a tensile strength test device with a dolly. The device fell from the dolly onto the employee's right leg, causing a compound fracture.
An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.
An employee was using a hook tool to pull a pallet onto the lift gate of a tractor trailer. The hook detached from the underside of the pallet, causing the employee to fall backward off the lift gate. The employee landed on the concrete parking lot about 5 feet below, suffering fractures to the skull and two thoracic vertebrae.
An employee was walking on a truss table when he lost his balance and fell approximately 3 feet to the floor. The employee sustained a dislocated and fractured left ankle.