Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Great Lakes Polymer Technologies LLC, 100 Fabpro Way, KINGMAN, KANSAS 67068
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
A temporary employee cut back-wrapped material on an extrusion line. His left hand was caught in the material as he tried to clear it. As the material continued to rotate, the employee's left ring finger was severed, resulting in a partial amputation.
Amputation Other finger(s) n.e.c. Extruding machinery
More severe injuries at Great Lakes Polymer Technologies LLC
An employee was walking/standing and waiting for instructions on the floor next to a machine, when his right hand became entangled by the fiber and the machine. The middle finger was amputated.
An employee was preparing a winder machine to start a new spool of twine. When she started the machine, it caught and damaged her right index fingertip, requiring surgical amputation.
An employee was changing dies when a metal guard flipped down, causing the insulator on the energized 240V (die heating element) heater wires to break. The employee suffered an electrical shock to his shoulder, lost consciousness, and then collapsed forward, hitting his head on a metal track.
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 325220)
An employee was using a plastic pipe to clear a jam in the shredding equipment. The pipe got stuck in the shredder and went into a vertical position, crushing the employee's left ring finger between the pipe and the top of the shredder shroud. The employee sustained a fingertip amputation.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift to move a pallet of product that was sitting on the floor in an aisle of the finishing warehouse next to metal racking. The forklift cab went under the middle shelf and his torso became caught between the metal shelf (at his back) and the forklift steering control stick (at his front). He was hospitalized with possible fractured ribs.
An employee was starting to collect edge trim when their right middle and ring fingers came into contact with a shear slitter blade. Half of the ring finger was nearly amputated, and half of the middle finger was amputated.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.