Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Langdale Forest Products Co., 1202 Madison Highway, VALDOSTA, GEORGIA 31601
on — Amputations, affecting the fingertip(s).
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning and maintaining the outfeed waste conveyors when their right hand was caught in the drive chain. The employee sustained an index fingertip amputation, a laceration to the middle finger, and a ring finger subungual hematoma and non-displaced fracture.
On February 27, 2025, two employees were driving a utility task vehicle (UTV) to get an air hose for a cleanup operation. They were navigating a turn on a gravel roadway at the plant when the vehicle flipped over onto it's right side. An employee's leg was crushed between the vehicle and the roadway, resulting in a fractured lower right leg and road rash. The employee required surgery.
An employee was cleaning the tip of a torch. Gas from the torch entered a hole in the thumb of the employee's left glove and then ignited when the torch activated. The employee suffered burns to the thumb and palm.
An employee was using a band saw to cut metal runners. He was trying to get a piece of metal out of the saw when its blade caught his right index finger, causing the amputation of the fingertip.
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 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.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.