Caught, entangled in running powered equipment normal operation · Amputations involving bone loss
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Ahlstrom, 515 West Davenport Street, RHINELANDER, WISCONSIN 54501
on — Amputations involving bone loss, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was threading a portion of the rope system to pull paper through on a coater machine while training a new employee. The kite tail of the paper is fed through the snare/noose of the machine and the noose is tightened around the paper and knotted to pull the paper through. The injured employee was showing this procedure to the new employee when his right ring finger was caught in the noose and the rope was pulled. He sustained an amputation at the first knuckle.
Amputation Other finger(s) n.e.c. Rollers, calenders, dryers paper production
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 322121)
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An employee was tracking an infeed belt on a scrap hogger when their right arm was caught between the belt and a roller. The arm was broken and the employee's shoulder was dislocated. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was working to clear a jam from a paper napkin folder. The ram that advanced the napkins pushed the employee's right arm into the side of the machine, causing several lacerations and a hairline fracture.
An employee was troubleshooting overflowing ink on a printer-slotter machine when their right ring fingertip was caught in a guarded roller, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was disconnecting wires in preparation to swap out a refiner motor when they contacted energized equipment and sustained an electrical shock. The employee was hospitalized.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
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An employee was on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.