Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Illinois Forge, 2900 East Rock Falls Road, ROCK FALLS, ILLINOIS 61071
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
Employees were changing out the die on a press. Each die weighs about 1,200 pounds. A forklift was used to raise the top die and insert it into the keyway pocket, and the die had to be rotated in order to fit. The injured employee was turning the die with his hands to line it up properly, and the forklift was holding the die in place against the keyway pocket. Once it was aligned, it slipped into the keyway pocket, and the injured employee's left index finger was pinched and amputated.
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 332111)
An employee was riding on the side of a forklift. He stepped off the forklift and was struck by the back end of the forklift as it turned to the right. The forklift's back tire ran over his leg, resulting in an amputation. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was loading a nozzle, weighing approximately 500 pounds, onto a positioner. The stainless steel nozzle slipped off the positioner and struck the employee's right leg. The employee's right tibia was fractured and their left knee was bruised.
An employee was preparing a hammer and dies for operation. The ram prop was inserted in the hammer to secure the ram. While the employee went to apply grease to the die shim in the hammer, the ram moved downward. The motion dislodged the prop, causing the ram to drop and crush the employee's right hand and forearm. The employee sustained amputations to their hand and arm and was hospitalized.
An employee was doing a tool changeover on a table mill and changing the mandrel. His hands were on both wrenches with his right thumb was between the two wrenches as he worked to unlock the mandrel. The wrenches came together, crushing his thumb. The employee was hospitalized with a partial amputation of the thumb.
An employee was helping to remove tooling that was stuck in a forging press (a full-revolution mechanical power press). The press cycled, resulting in partial amputations to two fingers on his left hand.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.