Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Alsey Refractories Co., 266 State Route 106 South, ALSEY, ILLINOIS 62610
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was working as part of the press crew and was assigned to unload the finished part from the bottom die once the cycle was complete. The employee reached above the light curtain to remove a piece of clay material stuck to the top die when their fingers were caught between the press die. The employee was hospitalized and underwent surgical amputation of their fingers.
On January 6, 2020, an employee was adjusting the weights on a mechanical press when the employee's left thumb was pinched between the wheel for the weights and the table on the press. The employee suffered a traumatic amputation of the left thumb and was hospitalized.
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 327124)
Two employees were carrying a piece of equipment to throw into a scrap hopper. One employee slipped and fell backward and the back of his head struck the ground.
An employee was loading brick into a brick crushing machine. The machine rollers caught the employee's left hand and pulled in his left arm. The arm was amputated. A safety limit switch on the machine was not in operation at the time of the incident.
Two employees were changing the cups in a pump. The pump was started up to put the machine in reverse, which would get the cylinder cup out to the end of the material cylinder so the cup could be removed. The swing tube switched, and an employee's right thumb and index finger were caught in it. The employee suffered amputations to the thumb and finger.
Two employees were in a scissor lift removing a plumbing piece from the side of a building. The lift moved unexpectedly in reverse instead of down and the injured employee struck his head on a structural beam on the side of the building. He bounced back and struck his head on the rail of the scissor lift. The injured employee was hospitalized for head and face injuries.
On January 6, 2020, an employee was adjusting the weights on a mechanical press when the employee's left thumb was pinched between the wheel for the weights and the table on the press. The employee suffered a traumatic amputation of the left thumb and was hospitalized.
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.