U.S. Postal Service- Processing & Distribution Center
Caught, entangled in running powered equipment normal operation · Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at U.S. Postal Service- Processing & Distribution Center, 100 South 1st Street, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55401
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
On September 9, 2024, an employee was operating the dual pass rough cull (DPRC) machine when their left index finger contacted the chain belt, resulting in amputation of the fingertip.
Amputation Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) Mailing and metering equipment
More severe injuries at U.S. Postal Service- Processing & Distribution Center
On March 17, 2024, at approximately 11:50 p.m., an employee was operating a ride-on electric pallet jack on the loading dock after loading a truck when he was struck by an all-purpose container (APC) that had fallen off the forks of another electric pallet jack that was being operated nearby. The APC struck the employee in the lower left leg, resulting in a fracture and hospitalization.
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 491110)
An employee was working to deliver mail to an apartment building. She was waiting for a customer to move, to obtain clearance to the mailboxes. The door swung inward and closed on her right little finger. The top half of her finger was surgically amputated.
An employee was waiting for an operator to bring mail over to a mail sorting machine when she became pinned between the machine and a stack of pallets being pushed by a powered industrial truck (PIT). The employee suffered bruising and swelling on her hips, lower back, knees, and left side; a puncture wound to her left thigh from a machine screw; a crushed right hand with numbness and tingling; numbness to the left big toe; and a right wrist sprain.
An employee was walking back to a carrier case with mail in her hand when she tripped over a tub. Her back overarched as she fell, resulting in a fractured back that required hospitalization.
An employee delivered a package. On her way back to her vehicle she was attacked by two dogs that came from around a corner. She was hospitalized with dog bites.
An employee was walking in a garage toward her delivery vehicle. As she stepped down a curb near her vehicle, she fell and landed on the concrete garage floor, resulting in a hip injury that required hospitalization.
Employees were performing maintenance operations on a railroad line when the machine experienced a load conveyor motor failure. While clearing the machine to allow for repairs, an employee pinned the left side of the swing conveyor. The operator on the right side then requested a slight bump to the left to align the right side for pinning. Once the swing was in position, the operator went to pin the right side and the chain tensioner failed, resulting in an abrupt release of the swing chain. The chain snapped back and struck the operator s right hand, resulting in a 1-inch laceration and a fractured fifth metacarpal. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery on the hand.
At about 9:15 a.m. on March 10, 2025, an employee was riding along a hardpack snow-covered roadway on a snowmobile. The snowmobile went over a berm and tipped/rolled, causing the employee to fall to the ground. He suffered a collapsed left lung and was hospitalized.
An employee was decommissioning a substation. The tower switch was being set down on the ground when the switch blade moved. The employee's finger was crushed and amputated.