Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Dart Container Corporation, 7575 S. Kostner Avenue, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60652
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
On August 8, 2024, at approximately 7:25 AM, an employee was performing startup activities when their left hand was caught between two rollers on a chrome roller unit. The employee's left little, middle, and ring fingers were crushed, and they sustained two fingertip amputations to the little and ring fingers.
Amputation Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) Metal, woodworking, and special material machinery unspecified
More severe injuries at Dart Container Corporation
On May 14, 2025, an employee was manually adjusting a plastic sheet entering the thermoforming oven when their right hand was pulled into the pin chain and idler wheel. The employee sustained the amputation of their middle finger.
An employee was re-assembling an air cylinder and aligning an end cap to fit properly with the cylinder barrel. When the end cap aligned and snapped into place, the employee's fingers were caught in the nip point where the end cap connects with the cylinder barrel. The employee sustained amputations to their left middle and ring fingertips.
An employee was bending over to pick up a marker from the floor. A whiteboard fell from its base and struck the back of the employee's head, causing a head injury.
An employee was working on a case erector line. A box got stuck coming out of the taper. The employee removed the box, placed it on the conveyor, and then grabbed the tape to clear the jam. The tape pulled his right hand back into the machine, past the guard, and between the two sprockets. His index finger was crushed.
In the thermal forming department, a machine was shut down because the sheet was wrapped around the rolls. The sheet was cleared, and the leader sheet was in place to start the line. During the start-up process, the sheet broke away from the leader sheet. An employee was on the east side of the chrome-roll stand between the scanner and draw rolls. The employee was trying to save the sheet and manually hand feeding the sheet into the draw rolls when his hand was caught between the rolls and his arm was pulled in. He suffered injuries to his fingers, hand, and arm up to the bicep and internal bleeding.
A temporary employee turned off a planer machine, opened the housing, and began clearing a jam. The machine's spinning blade caught his right hand and degloved the index finger.
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.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326140)
An employee was performing a maintenance task on a shape mold machine. The equipment had a clog preventing it from pumping material into the next stage. The employee's left hand was inside the hopper's butterfly valve when it unexpectedly turned. The employee's index and middle fingertips were partially amputated.
An employee was stacking used cardboard onto a pallet in the shipping and receiving area when he tripped over the scale by the loading dock door. The employee fell to the concrete floor and was hospitalized with a fractured left hip that required surgery.
On May 14, 2025, an employee was manually adjusting a plastic sheet entering the thermoforming oven when their right hand was pulled into the pin chain and idler wheel. The employee sustained the amputation of their middle finger.
At 6:30 p.m. on April 23, 2025, an employee was using a CNC panel saw when his fingers were pinned in by the pressure beam used to hold the board he was cutting. The sawblade, coming from beneath, amputated about 1/4 inch of his right little fingertip.
An employee was diagnosing an issue with a bagger that had jammed. The employee was cleaning out a piece of supporting equipment (a scrap barrel) when the blower motor contacted his right middle fingertip and fingernail, resulting in an amputation. The blower motor was not guarded at the time.
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.