Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Viaflex, INC., 711 West Algonquin Street, SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA 57104
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was using a machine to cut a roll of plastic sheeting. The employee's right hand was at the end of the roll, and when the cutting mechanism of the machine cycled, the employee's right middle and ring fingers were cut, resulting in amputations to both fingers.
HospitalizedAmputation Other finger(s) n.e.c. Other metal, wood, and special material machinery n.e.c.
The injured employee was letting air out of a winding shaft using scissors as a lift table was used to pull the roll off the shaft. The roll/cardboard core slid over the top of the injured employee's scissors and caused the scissors to amputate the employee's little fingertip at the nail base.
Two employees were setting up a mandrel in the spindle of a machine. The mandrel was side-shifted while an employee's hand was on the mast of a powered industrial truck. The employee suffered crushing injuries that resulted in amputations to the middle and ring fingertips.
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.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 326130)
The injured employee was letting air out of a winding shaft using scissors as a lift table was used to pull the roll off the shaft. The roll/cardboard core slid over the top of the injured employee's scissors and caused the scissors to amputate the employee's little fingertip at the nail base.
An employee was dropping off a skid of laminate to be cut at a table saw. The skid was lifted and the forks tilted forward when the stack slid forward and struck the injured employee. The employee was pinned between the laminate and the table of the saw, resulting in a back fracture and a laceration to the liver.
An employee was running acrylic film through an automated winding machine which wraps film around a cardboard cylinder core. He noticed that the film had slipped off the winder. He went to the front of the machine to re-attach the film to the winder spool. His fingers got caught between the film and the spool and his left arm was pulled up by the winder spool. The employee was hospitalized with a broken left forearm. Another employee injured their shoulder when pulling the first injured employee out of the machine.
The injured employee and a co-worker were loading a pallet of material onto a rack using a hydraulic lift system. The employee on the south side of the lift picked up the board about 2 inches so the board could enter the rack. The employee on the north side of the lift pressed the travel button to align the board with the rack opening. The injured employee was pinned between the lift and the rack and sustained fractured ribs.
An employee was moving a tensile strength test device with a dolly. The device fell from the dolly onto the employee's right leg, causing a compound fracture.
An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.
An employee was using a hook tool to pull a pallet onto the lift gate of a tractor trailer. The hook detached from the underside of the pallet, causing the employee to fall backward off the lift gate. The employee landed on the concrete parking lot about 5 feet below, suffering fractures to the skull and two thoracic vertebrae.
An employee was walking on a truss table when he lost his balance and fell approximately 3 feet to the floor. The employee sustained a dislocated and fractured left ankle.