Caught or wedged between objects nonrunning · Amputations involving bone loss
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Interlake Mecalux, Inc., 1600 N. 25th Ave., MELROSE PARK, ILLINOIS 60160
on — Amputations involving bone loss, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
An employee was re-installing a transmission on a roll-forming machine that processes steel coil into beams. The transmission weighed approximately 45 pounds. During the installation, the employee's right little finger got caught between the transmission and its housing. The employee suffered an amputation of approximately the first centimeter of his finger.
Amputation Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) Transmissions, gears
On August 13, 2025, an employee was feeding wire through a junction box to feed a 120-volt circuit near a 480-volt bus duct. The bus duct suddenly combusted, and the employee suffered burns to his left hand and upper body. He was hospitalized.
An employee was placing sheet metal into a roll forming machine when their finger was crushed under a clamp. The employee's left index finger was partially amputated.
An employee collected a bundle from a tower on a forklift. The employee was moving away from the falling load, resulting in a fractured pelvis and left knee.
An employee was loading a cart with finished steel frames for a pallet rack when they noticed a frame on the cart with a loose diagonal support. The employee raised the frame up to fix it when the frame fell and caught his left ring fingertip. The employee suffered a partial amputation.
An employee was observing a cataphoresis paint machine from a balcony when the machine caught their little finger and right index finger, resulting in partial amputations.
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 diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was changing the spacing on a telehandler's forks. A fork slipped, and the employee's left index finger was caught between it and the mast. The fingertip was medically amputated at the first knuckle.
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.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 337215)
On August 13, 2025, an employee was feeding wire through a junction box to feed a 120-volt circuit near a 480-volt bus duct. The bus duct suddenly combusted, and the employee suffered burns to his left hand and upper body. He was hospitalized.
An employee was operating a brake press and making the final bend on a steel part. Her right middle finger got caught between the part and the top punch as it bent the part upward. The employee sustained a crush injury resulting in amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was feeding scrap metal into a chipper when his right hand was squeezed against a metal component of the machine. He suffered an amputation to the right index finger at the second joint.
On June 18, 2025, an employee working as a millwork installer was cutting shims using a circular saw. The saw hit a knot in the wood and jumped, cutting the palm of the employee's left hand and causing partial amputations to three fingers. The employee 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.