Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Nestle USA, Inc., 637 S. Pine St., BURLINGTON, WISCONSIN 53105
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was unjamming a rotary valve when their left middle fingertip was amputated by the chain/sprocket.
AmputationFingertip(s)Special process machinery, unspecified
While cleaning a conveyor, a temporary employee came into contact with a drive wheel on the conveyor's chain and sprocket. The employee required surgical amputations to the right ring and little fingers.
An employee was using a hoist to lift a piece of equipment from the first floor of the prechill room to the second floor through a section of grating on hinges in the floor about 3 ft. by 6 ft. After the piece of the equipment had been lifted through the hole, the employee fell through the open space onto the floor 12 ft. below and suffered multiple fractures.
An employee was performing a clean-in-place process and took pipes apart. The pipes contained pressurized hot water that burned the employee's head, neck, and back.
An employee was changing a valve on a mixing kettle when a cleaning chemical leaked from the valve onto the employee's left hip, resulting in a chemical burn.
An employee was using a foaming unit to sanitize floors before rinsing. He was investigating a noise from the unit when it sprayed sanitizing solution into his eyes, burning them.
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 311320)
An employee was going down a ramp to a basement to assist in cleanup efforts. The ramp had been closed to vehicle traffic all day, as it was slippery. The employee was halfway down the ramp when a forklift drove onto it, then slid down the ramp and struck him. The employee suffered a spinal fracture and was hospitalized.
An employee was clearing a jam and making an adjustment to a machine using the exit wheel. Their right thumb was caught in the machine and they sustained a partial amputation to the thumb tip.
An employee was pushing a bag that was stuck in the bag sealing machine when their right thumb became caught in one of the back wheels, resulting in an amputation of the thumb tip.
An employee was getting chocolate product from the outfeed of a wrapping machine when the rotating elevator that pushes wrapped chocolate onto the outfeed ramp caught her right middle fingertip, resulting in a partial fingertip amputation. The machine was guarded and in operation at the time of the incident.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
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 on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.