Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Technical Metals, Inc., 1301 W. Oak Street, FAIRBURY, ILLINOIS 61739
on — Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was operating an overhead crane to place raw material on top of another stack of raw material. Wooden 2x4s were placed to stabilize the material. One of the 2x4s snapped, causing the material to slide to the side and break a post off a steel rack. The post then struck the employee who was hospitalized with chest, leg, and head injuries.
HospitalizedMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Racks-garment and other
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 332119)
A forklift operator was switching out a propane tank on his forklift when the tank leaked and sprayed his right hand, resulting in hospitalization due to liquid propane burns. PPE (gloves) were not worn at the time of the incident.
On September 2, 2025, at approximately 10:15 AM, an employee was setting a rest die in a press when the die slipped off the parallels. One of the employee's fingertips became caught in the die, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
On August 19, 2025, an employee was changing tooling on a sizing machine. The employee's left ring fingertip was pinched between the tooling and the machine and was partially amputated.
An employee was loading pipe into a flare machine when a part clamp caught her right hand. The hand was lacerated and broken. A light curtain was in place at the time of the incident.
A maintenance employee was working on the roof of a small office inside the facility. The employee fell through the ceiling and landed on the floor inside the office. The employee sustained fractured ribs and a punctured lung 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.