Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Koch & Co Inc, 100 Industrial Avenue, HIAWATHA, KANSAS 66434
on — Soft tissue injuries n.e.c., affecting the Knee(s).
Final narrative
An employee knelt to look at a machine. They stood up and felt a pop in their right knee. Later in the day, the employee experienced swelling in their knee, resulting in hospitalization for a ruptured bursa.
Hospitalized Knee(s) Bodily motion or position of injured, ill worker
An employee tripped and fell on the concrete floor while carrying a flat piece of cardboard to be recycled. There was a score in the concrete at the site of the fall but nothing was sticking up. She sustained a fractured left hip requiring surgery.
An employee on the north end of the veneer-cutting area was cutting 80-inch by 5.5-inch veneer on a table saw. The employee grabbed the cut from the front of the table saw while it was running. The blade caught the glove on the employee's left index finger and amputated the finger at or near the first knuckle. All guards were in place at the time.
An employee knelt on their left knee to draw blood from the hand of a patient. She suffered a back injury involving a bulging disk and was hospitalized.
An employee was kneeling on his left knee with his right knee up while taking measurements of a car he was working on. As he switched knees, and put his right knee on the ground with his left knee up, his right hip dislocated and he bent forward onto his hands. The employee was hospitalized and required hip surgery.
An employee was working on flooring tile, which required several continuous hours of kneeling. The next morning, he noticed fluid and swelling on the right knee. When he knelt to perform work tasks, he felt an immediate sharp, burning pain. The employee was hospitalized with an infection.
An employee fell to an office floor, landing on her right side and suffering a broken hip, a broken right arm, and a concussion. She was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was clearing a small piece of wood that had jammed in the back of a machine. A cutting blade in the machine lacerated the employee's right forearm. The employee was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift to travel from the warehouse to the breakroom area. The forklift struck the breakroom wall, causing a fracture/crush injury to his left foot.
An employee was cutting a piece of wood with a table saw. The wood bound in the saw, which then pulled the employee's right hand into the blade. His middle finger was cut and fractured.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.