Struck by dislodged flying object, particle · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Pleasant River Lumber, 542 Hammett Road, ENFIELD, MAINE 04493
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
A saw was being swapped out. The retaining pin caught on the inside of the saw stack, which caused slack in the lifting device being used to lower the pin into place. The pin then dislodged and struck an employee's right index finger. The last joint of the finger was amputated.
AmputationFinger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c.Machine and appliance parts, n.e.c.
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An employee was attempting to free a jammed board in a sorter bin. The bin arm cycled and pinched the employee's left thumb causing a partial amputation.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 321912)
An employee was operating a panel saw when a piece of wood got stuck in the dust collection vent. He was clearing the jam when the pressure bar (that holds the material) came down on his right hand and crushed his fingers. He sustained partial amputations to the middle and ring fingertips.
On September 3, 2025, a lumber handler was cutting a board with a circular saw when the saw blade grabbed his glove and pulled his hand into the saw. The blade amputated his left index finger and lacerated his left ring finger.
An employee was adjusting self-dumping steel hopper to get it to latch onto the tines of a forklift. He rocked the hopper back and forth to dump. The hopper slid off the forklift and fell about 2-3 feet down onto his legs. The employee sustained a cut on his head, a bruise on his face, and both his ankles were fractured.
An employee was using his left arm to pull a piece of lumber from a chain, which was on his right side, to stack it on a lumber bunk positioned to his left. His left middle fingertip was crushed between the end of the lumber he was moving and the stationary lumber stack behind him, resulting in an amputation.
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.