Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at COWART MULCH PRODUCTS, INC., 9290 Matt HWY, BALL GROUND, GEORGIA 30107
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
An employee had dropped off a large chipper the size of a tractor trailer. There was some maintenance needed on one of the outriggers. The foot had been damaged and the employee was helping a maintenance person remove a piece of the chipper. The employee's fingers were caught between two pieces of metal they were attempting to take apart and the employee sustained a fingertip amputation.
Amputation Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) Chippers
A crew was installing drilled micropiles alongside an outdoor covered deck foundation. The injured employee was working the front of the drill when a loose section of casing dropped onto the tip of a rig wrench and pulled the wrench down to an embedded casing. The employee's left little finger was caught between the rig wrench and the embedded casing and was amputated above the top knuckle.
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 had been cleaning the work area. While lifting a saw, the employee's index finger was lacerated by the saw blade. A tendon was cut and required surgery.
An employee was installing a hydraulic extension cylinder in a tow truck when their leg was caught between the cylinder and the truck frame. The employee was hospitalized with a broken tibia, which required surgery.
An employee was sorting sucker rods. His right hand was caught in the area where the rod hits up against the frame and his index fingertip was amputated just below the nail.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 113210)
An employee was installing a feed roller. The employee's left index finger was caught between the roller and a choker. The employee suffered an avulsion to the finger, and the fingertip was partially amputated at the hospital.
While conducting physical training, an employee was running and stepped on a sprinkler head that caused them to fall. The employee sustained a broken femur, requiring surgery.
An employee was walking on a flat level track with a 25-pound pack. He was on his final lap of the test when he collapsed onto the ground from overexertion.
An employee was working a maintenance shift when a pulley holding a load of lumber malfunctioned, destroying the belt shaft. Metal shrapnel then struck the employee in the abdomen, causing a laceration that required hospitalization.
An employee was receiving an overview on how to clean out a piece of the top dressing machine when it gets jammed with pearlite. The employee went to feel the roller grooves when the machine activated and amputated his right index fingertip.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.