Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at WVA Manufacturing, US Route 60 East, ALLOY, WEST VIRGINIA 25002
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was performing maintenance on the second level of a silo. While they were making sure the belt pulley were not seized up, the belt was powered on, causing the employee's finger to get caught in the sheave. Their left little finger was partially amputated.
An employee was replacing the carbon set on a furnace. His fingers were caught in the carbon/head intersection of the furnace, causing the partial amputation of his right ring finger and an injury to the right middle finger.
Two employees were repairing the hydraulic engagement pins on a rented front-end wheel loader. The machine controls were activated to move the attachment pins and an employee's finger was caught between the pins and the bushings. Their right index finger was partially amputated.
An employee was cleaning the conveyor on a piece of equipment when they slipped and their right hand was pulled into the chain sprocket. The employee's fifth fingertip was amputated.
An employee was throwing blankets onto a blanket folding and stacking machine. A blanket got stuck in the machine and she attempted to remove it when the machine contacted her right little finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 331419)
An employee was operating a table saw to cut pieces of lumber measuring 2x2x36 inches. The blade contacted the employee's left thumb, cutting half of the distal phalange bone and amputating the thumb tip along the bottom of the fingernail.
A temporary employee was wrapping a chain around a 2,000-pound block of metal, located on the ground. The block tipped over and crushed his right foot. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was observing the clean-up process of a spilled ladle. As the employee was walking away from an area of cooling metal, there was an eruption due to molten metal reacting with water. The employee fell forward, attempted to catch himself, and his right hand touched the molten metal resulting in burns to the little fingertip and middle finger.
An employee was helping unload a skid steer off a truck skip. While positioned with his left foot on the skid steer's step and his right foot on the tire, he was helping unhook the chains from the truck skip and slipped and fell backward, landing on the rear rail of the truck skip. He suffered six broken ribs and a flail chest injury.
While walking down a set of stairs that had four steps, an employee missed a step and slid down the stairs, catching his leg between the upper and lower hand rail. The employee's knee twisted, tearing a thigh muscle.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.