Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Helical Solutions, LLC, 49 Raceway Drive, GORHAM, MAINE 04038
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was placing a magnetic plate onto a metal table when his left index finger became caught between the plate and the table, resulting in a partial amputation to the finger.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), unspecifiedParts and materials, unspecified
An employee was dressing a grinding wheel with a rag when the rag became caught in the wheel. The employee's left hand was then pulled into the grinding wheel, amputating the index finger and lacerating the third, fourth, and fifth fingers.
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 333515)
A maintenance employee was changing out the electrode tips of a welding machine. He was checking an electrode when the machine cycled. The electrode holder partially amputated his left index finger.
An employee was operating a punch press when the coils became jammed. The employee stood on the machine and reached for the coil. When the steel coil became unstuck, it sprung back and caught the employee's left middle finger, amputating it at the first knuckle.
On February 20, 2025, an employee was operating a cylindrical grinder when their finger became caught between the grinding wheel and stone. The employee's fingertip was medically amputated.
An employee was operating an unguarded hydraulic press. When the employee placed his hand inside the press to remove one of the molds, the employee's fingers on his right hand were caught between the mold and the top plate of the press. The employee was hospitalized, and four fingers were surgically amputated.
An employee was setting up a die when the die started to fall. As the employee went to catch it, the die landed on and crushed the employee's right index finger between the die and the machine. Their right index finger was amputated slightly above the second knuckle.
A crew was installing drilled micropiles alongside an outdoor covered deck foundation. The injured employee was working the front of the drill when a loose section of casing dropped onto the tip of a rig wrench and pulled the wrench down to an embedded casing. The employee's left little finger was caught between the rig wrench and the embedded casing and was amputated above the top knuckle.
Two employees were working to change a tire on a mobile slasher saw. The slasher weighs around 2,000 pounds and is towed. Employee 2 was lifting the saw while the injured employee was placing a block of wood under the frame for support. The slasher then lowered onto the block and the injured employee's left thumb was crushed between the slasher frame and the wood block, leading to an amputation at the first knuckle.
An employee was using a crane to move a 44-foot, 3,343-pound I-beam. As the beam was moving west, it straightened out (north to south), beginning to swing south toward the northwest corner of a building. The crane then sent the beam southward, directly toward the corner of the building. The beam caught the tips of the employee's left index, middle, and ring fingers against the building. The last joints of the middle and ring fingers were amputated, and the last joint of the index finger was partially crushed.
An employee was standing on a step stool, removing the nuts and bolts from the frame of a solar panel that was being replaced. The employee's cheek made contact with a connector with damaged insulation. The employee was shocked, briefly lost consciousness, and fell to the ground, suffering an injury to the left shoulder.