Struck by discharged object or substance · Traumatic injuries or exposures unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Caterpillar Inc., 27th St & E Pershing Rd, DECATUR, ILLINOIS 62526
on — Traumatic injuries or exposures unspecified, affecting the Hand(s) and finger(s).
Final narrative
On July 22, 2024, an employee was using a pressure washer to fill a mop bucket with water. The washer's hose split and soapy water was injected into the employee's right palm and index finger. The puncture wound had to be surgically cleaned.
Hospitalized Hand(s) and finger(s) Disinfectants, detergents, soap products
On September 13, 2025, an employee had been working at an outdoor event. At the end the day, she was walking around outside the facility to make sure everything was put away and felt overheated. The employee was hospitalized for heat-related illness.
On September 5, 2025, at approximately 7:35 AM, a temporary employee was at the engine block rollover machine. Their left index fingertip was caught and amputated between a pneumatic part and a guard.
On June 27, 2025, at approximately 8:35 AM, an employee was operating a box maker machine when their left middle fingertip was caught by a chain and sprocket. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated without loss of bone or the fingernail.
An employee had just put a dock plate in place. While stepping back over the plate, the employee tripped and fell onto it. The employee suffered a broken hip.
An employee was working to assess the operation of a high-pressure water nozzle. The water system was activated and the employee was cut by high pressure water on his left hand where the palm meets the wrist. The employee was hospitalized.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was sandblasting paint from a water tower when the blasting media sprayed across their forearm, resulting in an elbow injury that required hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 333131)
An employee was standing at the rear of a machine and the machine's mesh tray fell down onto the rear of the machine, crushing his left hand against the read lift. The employee sustained fractures and a laceration to their left hand and was hospitalized.
The injured employee was assisting with tightening down 3/4" hardware during assembly of a 6'x20' triple deck screen. Another employee was using a 1/2" cordless impact wrench to tighten down the hardware. The injured employee was using a 1-1/8" open-end wrench that slipped when the bolt was being tighten down by the impact wrench. The injured employee's right ring fingertip was caught between the open-end wrench and the side sheet of the triple deck screen. The tuft of the distal phalanx was amputated.
An employee was welding baffle plates onto a 55-gallon hydraulic tank. A flash occurred as they began to tack weld a part. The employee suffered burns to most of their face and second-degree burns on each arm, resulting in hospitalization.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.