Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at TYSON POULTRY, INC., 19571 Whitfield Road, SEDALIA, MISSOURI 65301
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was adjusting a guard on a box sealing machine when they slipped on tea oil, causing their right thumb to get stuck in the chain/sprocket. The distal portion of the employee's right thumb was amputated.
On September 25, 2025, an employee was exiting a yard truck. They slipped and fell approximately 3 feet from the top tread of the steps to the concrete below. The employee sustained a fractured left hip.
An employee was moving a cardboard tote of product using an electric pallet jack. After he turned a corner, he came in contact with a round metal bracket that holds a trash bag mounted to a pole. The pallet jack continued forward and his right hand got caught between the pole and the handle of the jack, resulting in an open fracture and crush injury to his thumb that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was removing product from a leg quarter saw with a hook when the hook became jammed. As he was getting the hook free, his right hand came into contact with the saw, which partially amputated his middle finger.
An employee was standing at a workstation, preparing to hang poultry. The employee reached to close a manual air damper for an air vent, which caught their left middle finger as it closed. The employee suffered an amputation to the fingertip.
An employee was waiting for test product to come out of a freezer. While the employee was lowering the basket used to catch the test product, their left little finger was caught between the basket and the side shield on the freezer slide chute, resulting in an amputation to the fingertip.
An employee was exiting a wet trailer ramp near the end of their shift when they slipped and twisted their left ankle, resulting in a fracture. They were hospitalized and had surgery.
An employee was cleaning/foaming the floors between lines 2 and 3 when they slipped on a piece of chicken skin and twisted their leg. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured tibial plateau.
An employee was moving a cardboard tote of product using an electric pallet jack. After he turned a corner, he came in contact with a round metal bracket that holds a trash bag mounted to a pole. The pallet jack continued forward and his right hand got caught between the pole and the handle of the jack, resulting in an open fracture and crush injury to his thumb that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was cleaning the packer line with a steel wool pad when the pad got caught in the chain and gear sprocket and their hand was pulled in. They sustained a laceration to the right hand.
An employee was removing an egg transport unit (cart) from the back of a box truck. The cart rolled off the lift gate and struck the employee, fracturing their tibia.
An employee was lowering the dock plate after finishing a delivery when his thumb was caught between the plate and the dock, resulting in an open fracture.
An employee was readjusting a safety hook to remove hardware from gang forms when his feet slipped. He fell to the ground, resulting in a broken left arm and wrist.
An employee was on a step ladder in a store aisle, making room on shelving for merchandise. She fell from the step ladder to the floor, suffering two fractures in her left leg. She was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was closing the side cargo door to a company van. The tip of his finger got caught between the door and the door jamb, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee lost his footing while climbing an inclined ladder. He stumbled down one step and was able to stabilize himself by holding the railing and twisting his body, but he suffered an internal abdominal injury and was hospitalized.