Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Weyerhaeuser, 706 Hwy 167 N., DODSON, LOUISIANA 71422
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was emptying a self-emptying trash dumpster. When the lever came down onto the track that guides the hopper into the dumping position, the employee sustained partial amputations to the right middle and index fingers.
HospitalizedAmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), unspecifiedTanks, bins, vats-nonconfined space
During a maintenance day, two operators locked out the lathe to replace the trash gate cylinder. To complete the lockout, the lathe operator raised the trash gate to the pin position while another operator inserted a pin for the gate to rest on while the work is performed. When this event occurred, the lathe operator was in the cab, and the other operator was at the trash gate with the blocking pin. While inserting the pin, the gate rose from the run position to the pin position, pinching the injured employee's left middle finger and resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was climbing onto the outfeed roll case of a band mill. His left hand was on a 4-inch square tubing support beam as he stepped onto a bottom rail of the handrail. The handrail was attached to a set of steps, which tilted up. His left ring finger was smashed between the handrail and the square tubing. His fingertip was amputated.
An employee was operating a three-wheeled personal electric transport vehicle. While traveling up a concrete grade of approximately 30 degrees, the equipment failed. The employee then attempted to turn left, back down the incline, and the front wheel may have caught on a concrete barrier. The employee fell out of the vehicle, landed on the concrete ground and sustained a broken left femur.
As an employee was walking to his work station, he saw two boards misaligned on the green trimmer conveyor belt. When he reached to align the boards his left pinky finger was jammed between the conveyor belt wall and the boards. His left pinky fingertip was surgically amputated.
On April 16, 2019, an employee was using a staple gun to secure paper to a bundle of completed product to a line roller system. The bundle moved and the employee's finger was pinched between the product and a roller, resulting in a partial amputation of the right middle finger.
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 321113)
An employee was repairing a photo eye on the infeed roll case when they dropped a tool. The employee went to grab the tool and his fingers contacted the chain and sprocket of the infeed roll case. His fingers were pulled into the pinch point and the fingertips were crushed, resulting in amputation of one fingertip.
An employee was troubleshooting dispersing equipment. A belt and pulley system was energized, and the moving belt caught the employee's right ring finger. He suffered a partial amputation at the first knuckle, below the nail.
An employee was cleaning the photo eye sensors of a piece of equipment between the saw that cuts lumber into lengths and boards. The employee stepped on a metal grate that gave way and fell 8-10 feet. The employee was able to remove himself from the conveyor. His tibia was fractured just below the knee.
While refilling a lubricant tank, an employee observed that a pump was not operating correctly. While troubleshooting the issue, the employee reached toward the back of the pump to check for proper airflow. Their left index finger contacted moving components in the pump's piston mechanism, resulting in partial amputation of the fingertip.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk and stubbed his toe on an elevated portion of concrete, causing him to trip and fall. The employee's right knee was dislocated.