Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Amputations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Snak-King Corp., 3133 Industrial Drive, FREEPORT, ILLINOIS 61032
on — Amputations, affecting the Finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was clearing a jam in a surge hopper when they sustained a right wrist fracture, three finger amputations, and a laceration. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
HospitalizedAmputation Finger(s), fingernail(s), n.e.c. Food and beverage processing machinery-specialized, n.e.c.
An employee was cleaning the production floor in the packaging room. The employee reached for a water hose in front of the bagger and fell. The employee sustained chemical burns to the right buttock from the cleaning product.
On September 14, 2018, an employee was changing out a plate on a grinder. The old plate became free, and his finger was caught between it and the new plate. He suffered a fingertip laceration that required medical amputation. The grinder was locked out at the time of the incident.
An employee and a coworker were using an air-operated diaphragm pump and hose to transfer hot cooking oil from a fryer into a travel tote.
The employees made the connections, turned on the air supply to the pump, and commenced pumping. After a few minutes, the discharge hose split due to the temperature of the oil (approximately 250 degrees) allowing the oil to splash the employee. He suffered third degree burns on his hands, abdomen, groin, and lower extremities.
On December 31, 2023, an employee was performing sanitation on a packer conveyor and was walking in the passageway when their shirt collar was pulled into the conveyor above the passageway. The employee was strangled and became unconscious. The conveyor was not guarded at the time.
On 12/25/2023, at approximately 1:00 PM, a converting pulp mill was plugged up. An employee was going to use compressed air to clean the machine. He thought he dropped a baffle behind the teeth of the machine. When he reached for the baffle, his cut-resistant glove was caught by the teeth (blades). The employee sustained a laceration and partial amputation to the right index finger.
A maintenance employee was conducting repairs on the conveyor belt of an automatic palletizer. The employee's shirt fell in front of a sensor causing the equipment to energize. The employee's right middle finger was caught by chains within the conveyor belt motor resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was working as a color weighman operator. The employee located the weigh station hopper and removed the vent sock and clamps to access the inside of the hopper through the vent hole. After using a pole to clear the bottom of the hopper, the employee reached through the vent hole to access the top of the hopper. The employee's right hand came in contact with the rotary air lock, causing partial amputations to two fingers.
On December 14, 2023, an employee was clearing a jam on the exit roll of a sander when a belt grabbed his glove through an opening in the guard, pulling his left middle finger into a pulley and resulting in a fingertip amputation.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311919)
While attending the slab line, an employee observed that dough was accumulating on the plastic blades. He proceeded to clean the blades. His left index finger came into contact with an adjacent blade that moves laterally (left to right), resulting in a partial amputation.
A sanitation employee entered the chemical room and slipped on the wet floor. When he slipped, he kicked over a bucket containing cleaning chemicals. The chemicals splashed onto the employee's clothing and burned his skin.
An employee's right middle fingertip was caught between a chain and a sprocket in a machine. The fingertip was amputated. The machine was unguarded at the time.
An employee had just finished unloading material from a truck. He was descending using the truck's built-in ladder when he missed the last rung, fell to the ground, and broke his hip and left wrist.
An employee was using a handheld grinder to cut a bolt. The grinding wheel broke apart and a fragment struck the employee s right hand, causing a laceration to the palm near the little finger.
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.