Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Multiple surface and flesh wounds
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Neiman Enterprises, Inc., 1510 West Oliver Street, SPEARFISH, SOUTH DAKOTA 57783
on — Multiple surface and flesh wounds, affecting the Multiple lower extremities locations unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning a planer bander when the photo-sensing eye was tripped and the press started moving. The employee was pinched between the conveyor roller and a plate. The employee sustained lacerations, bruises, and abrasions to the lower extremities that required stitches and staples, as well as compartment syndrome. The machine was not completely de-energized or locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was re-banding defective packaging of lumber product. As he cut the defective banding, the pack shifted and crushed his finger. The employee's left index finger was amputated just below the fingernail.
An employee was "papering" lumber rolls while the lumber was on conveyor belts, being guided to a forklift receiving area. The guide rails on the conveyor belt caught the employee's finger, causing the amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was operating a planer. The planer's blade touched his right thumb as he tried to pull out a piece of lumber, partially amputating the thumb.
An employee was clearing a jam in an air filtration system when another employee re-energized the machine without realizing the injured employee was still working inside it. The blades activated and amputated four fingers of the employee's left hand.
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 321113)
An employee was repairing a photo eye on the infeed roll case when they dropped a tool. The employee went to grab the tool and his fingers contacted the chain and sprocket of the infeed roll case. His fingers were pulled into the pinch point and the fingertips were crushed, resulting in amputation of one fingertip.
An employee was troubleshooting dispersing equipment. A belt and pulley system was energized, and the moving belt caught the employee's right ring finger. He suffered a partial amputation at the first knuckle, below the nail.
An employee was cleaning the photo eye sensors of a piece of equipment between the saw that cuts lumber into lengths and boards. The employee stepped on a metal grate that gave way and fell 8-10 feet. The employee was able to remove himself from the conveyor. His tibia was fractured just below the knee.
While refilling a lubricant tank, an employee observed that a pump was not operating correctly. While troubleshooting the issue, the employee reached toward the back of the pump to check for proper airflow. Their left index finger contacted moving components in the pump's piston mechanism, resulting in partial amputation of the fingertip.
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.