Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Printpack, Inc., 1400 Abbott Drive, ELGIN, ILLINOIS 60123
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
A maintenance employee was using a rubber roll grinding lathe to resurface a rubber roller/sleeve. The lathe has a grinding wheel attached to it which passes across the roller to remove a fine layer of rubber from the roller to remove any blemishes that would affect the printing process when it is placed back into a printing press. When the employee went to wipe the rubber dust away from the roller/sleeve their right ring finger contacted the grinding wheel at the end of the lathe. The employee sustained an open fracture of the distal phalanx of the right ring finger resulting in a surgical, partial amputation and a laceration to the little finger with damage to the nail.
An employee was using a rag and solvent to clean a chrome roller when their right hand was pulled into a nip point created by the drive roller and the chrome roller resulting in contusions and swelling.
A pallet had been loaded onto a trolley to be picked up for wrapping, but a broken bottom board on the pallet was blocking an entry roller sensor, tripping it and preventing the trolley from moving. An employee removed the board and the trolley began to travel. Her left knee and thigh were lodged between the framing of the trolley and a stationary pallet insert line. She suffered a laceration to the back of the thigh.
An employee was unloading a trailer on the dock when he was struck by a forklift truck and pinned between the forklift and the overhead door, breaking his knee and suffering cuts and an abrasion.
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 using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 323111)
An employee was removing packaging from a roll of printing substrate. The blade of their utility knife got stuck. The employee used both hands to free the knife and the blade partially amputated their left little fingertip.
The injured employee's standup forklift had mechanical issue with a tire. The injured employee was inside their forklift to help steer it while it was being pushed up the ramp by another forklift. As the other forklift started to move up the ramp, it's forks moved and went into the driver's space of the disabled forklift. The fork penetrated the injured employee's left shoe, fracturing the two middle toes and injuring the first toe. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
A press was having a paster failure and the crew was working to get the ink on the paper. A press operator grounded himself and was entering the press unit when something flashed. The employee sustained third-degree burns to his head and left arm.
Around 12:45 PM, a clamp truck operator went to remove a piece of orange strap from a clamp truck that was parked outside of the office. The strap fell into a gap between the frame and the hood of the truck. The strap became caught in the engine's fan and also wrapped around the employee's hand when he went to grab it. The strap was pulled tight against the frame of the clamp truck, causing lacerations and fractures to the employee's hand. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
At 12:00 p.m. on August 13, 2025, an employee was unloading a 1,100-pound roll of paper from a skid when the roll fell onto his right leg. The leg was broken.
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.