Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Cellofoam North America, Inc., 1090 Airport Parkway, GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA 30501
on — Fractures , affecting the Lower leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee was driving a forklift in an outside yard. The forklift became stuck on the gravel and dirt and had to be towed with a cable attached to the top of its roll cage. It flipped, and the employee's leg was caught between the engine cover and the left side of the truck. He suffered a broken tibia and fibula.
Hospitalized Lower leg(s) Forklift, order picker, platform truck powered
More severe injuries at Cellofoam North America, Inc.
An employee was sanding a piece of metal with a disk sander when the clamps holding the piece of metal did not fully engage due to a build-up of debris. The disk sander then amputated the employee's right thumb tip with bone loss.
The injured employee was using a blower to clean the floor when a 192" tall block of expandable polystyrene (EPS) foam weighing 200 lbs. turned over and struck the employee as he walked by it. EPS foam blocks are moved from the block mold to the production floor by an operator using a tip method. The injured employee suffered a vertebra fracture.
An employee was mowing a residential lawn at a client's house. The mower slid on the land and tipped over onto him. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra in the neck and partial paralysis.
An employee was driving a forklift when its right front wheel dropped off a 6-inch curb. The forklift rolled over and trapped him against the concrete surface. He suffered a broken pelvis, ribs, and collarbone, as well as a collapsed lung.
An employee was operating a utility task vehicle (UTV). During a left turn, the vehicle rolled over on its right side. The employee suffered a lumbar strain and fractures to four lower-back vertebrae. She was hospitalized.
An employee was loading a telehandler onto a trailer and the right wheels were misaligned with the trailer, causing the telehandler to tip and fall to the right. The employee went to exit the telehandler as it fell, striking his head on the cage and frame of the telehandler. The employee sustained a concussion, a head laceration, and fractured vertebrae.
An employee was driving an ATV when it overturned and rolled onto its side. The employee sustained a fractured elbow requiring hospitalization and surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 325211)
An employee was monitoring a rotary press when his left hand became caught in the machinery. The employee's left middle finger was amputated at the distal interphalangeal joint.
An employee was sweeping in an area with powdered PVC on the floor and began having difficulty breathing and coughing up blood, The employee was hospitalized for inhalation of PVC.
An employee was working on a pastillator machine, which processes resin-based materials into solid pastilles. His right hand became caught between the feed roller (operating at approximately 350 F) and the cooling belt. The employee s glove and shirt sleeve adhered to his arm due to the heat. The employee sustained third-degree burns to his right hand and forearm, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was troubleshooting a leak on a low pressure (less than 50 PSI) condensate line in the oxidation area of the plant. He was working to remove insulation around a valve when either the valve or the line failed, and hot condensate contacted his right arm, right abdomen area, and the front of both legs, resulting in second- and third-degree burns.
An employee was replacing a fan on a cooling unit. As he went to adjust a pump, the unit caught his right hand and the fan blades severely lacerated his index finger. He underwent a medical amputation to the finger.
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.