Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Riverside Foods, Inc., 2520 Wilson Street, TWO RIVERS, WISCONSIN 54241
on — Concussions, affecting the Brain.
Final narrative
An employee was working as a spreader on a cheese curd line when an air line (2.5-inch clear plastic tubing, about 6-7 feet long) disconnected and fell from the ceiling. Another employee went to catch the air line and dropped the rake they were using to break apart cheese. The rake fell and struck the injured employee in the right side of the head, resulting in a concussion and amnesia.
An employee attempted to remove a jammed bag from a machine. The machine activated, clamping the employee's finger. A knife came down and cut the tip of the finger.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
An employee and co-worker were working to unjam and move a 100-pound piece of crossed-up cant timber. The employee lost their grip and the timber fell on their right hand, resulting in crush injuries to the fingers.
An employee was working on a cushion ring (steel). As they lifted the cushion ring with both hands to flip it up, the ring slid down and the employee's right middle fingertip was crushed between the ring and the work table. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture, and their right middle fingertip was amputated.
Two employees were lifting a roll of steel poly bar (50 inches and approximately 150 pounds) from ground level to a height of 4 feet at the 66-inch rubber calendar. One employee dropped the roll, resulting in the poly bar contacting the injured employee's right knee. The employee was hospitalized with fractured right patella.
The injured employee was walking in front of the property by the front door as another employee was removing debris from the roof. The injured employee was struck by a 2 x 4 that was being cleared from the roof. He was knocked unconscious and sustained brain bleeding, as well as head and facial injuries, and required stitches.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311999)
An employee was reaching for a piece of angle iron when it fell onto his hand, which was on a table to support him as he reached for the overhead rack. He suffered a broken finger and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was working to open the liftgate on the back of a delivery truck. His left middle finger was pinched between the gate and its frame, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
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.
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.
An employee was on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.