Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at KWS Manufacturing Company, Ltd., 3041 Conveyor Drive, BURLESON, TEXAS 76028
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning welding debris from a steel part that was in a fixture. The part moved, cut through the employee's cut-resistant glove, and amputated their right middle fingertip.
Amputation Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) Parts and materials unspecified
More severe injuries at KWS Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
An employee rolled a pipe off a shelf and it fell to the floor striking his boot at the edge of the steel toe and breaking his big toe and the one next to it. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
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 333922)
An installation technician for a wind turbine lift was using a chain hoist to move materials up a tower. The chain storage unit overflowed; the chain spilled and fell about 40-50 feet down the tower. It struck the injured employee in the face, causing fractures to their nose and cheekbones.
On November 25, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., two employees were moving a metal staging pallet that was located in an automation cell. The injured employee slipped and their left middle finger was crushed between the pallet and metal frame of the machine, resulting in an amputation to the finger padding.
On October 22, 2024, at approximately 10:15 a.m., an employee was forming a stand leg on a standard brake press. As they were readjusting the part, the tip of their right thumb was caught in the brake press, resulting in a partial amputation. The incident occurred during training.
An employee was changing the dies of a brake press. They loosened the securement bolts on the upper die (approximately 6-feet long and weighing 200-pounds) and the upper die fell out of the press. The employee attempted to catch the die and their left middle and ring fingers were caught between the upper die and the bottom die, resulting in amputations.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.