Caught, entangled in running powered equipment normal operation · Amputations involving bone loss
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Prolec GE USA, LLC, 7000 West Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA 71129
on — Amputations involving bone loss, affecting the Thumb(s).
Final narrative
An employee was moving material by hand to be staged for a drill press operator when the machine contacted his right hand. He sustained a laceration to the ring finger, a degloving of the little finger, and an amputation of the thumb that required reattachment surgery.
The injured employee was moving a unit down a conveyor line to begin work at his work station. The unit became stuck on the rotating conveyor in front of the work station. To dislodge the unit, two other employee began to push and pry the unit forward. The conveyor rotated to be perpendicular with the work station. Once the conveyor was turned, the unit moved toward the injured employee and pinned them against their workstation, resulting in a punctured abdomen and liver hematoma that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was working on a production line. The employee went to retrieve parts that came out of the parts holder, and their left hand became caught between a chain and a sprocket. Three fingers on the hand were amputated.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was operating a pad printer. The employee's finger was caught in the printer and they suffered a fingertip amputation. The part of the printer that caught the employee's finger was unguarded at the time.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 335311)
An employee was checking a pole-type transformer tank for leaks. A hydraulic clamping device was lowered onto his right thumb and crushed it against the sharp edge of the bottom of the tank. He suffered a partial transphalangeal amputation to the thumb.
An employee was troubleshooting a machine. He was investigating a slipping belt when it caught his left hand and pulled it into a pulley, partially amputating the tip of his thumb.
An employee was tilting a radiator in a fixture. The radiator moved in the fixture and crushed the employee's left index fingertip, causing an amputation.
An employee installed a busbar on a coil for a winding machine. The busbar hit a tension bar, causing his left ring finger to get caught between the coil and the tension bar, which pulled in the employee's glove and resulted in a medical fingertip amputation. The machine was guarded at the time.
An employee was operating a wire winding machine when their clothing was caught in a rotating component, pulling them into the equipment. The employee's right arm was fractured.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk and stubbed his toe on an elevated portion of concrete, causing him to trip and fall. The employee's right knee was dislocated.