Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at KRAFT HEINZ FOODS COMPANY (LLC), 5521 Division Drive, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA 33905
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was conducting periodic maintenance on equipment. His right ring finger was caught between the belt and a pulley on a high-pressure pump resulting in amputation down to the middle of the nailbed. The machine was locked out at the time.
Amputation Other finger(s) n.e.c. Pumps except oil well
More severe injuries at KRAFT HEINZ FOODS COMPANY (LLC)
On January 5, 2023, an employee was operating a ketchup bottle labeling machine that used a roller system to pump glue onto the labels. Their left hand was crushed in the labeler machine, resulting in a ring finger amputation.
On November 3, 2022, an employee was working in the receiving/shipping area. The employee was adjusting the tension of a conveyor belt while standing near a stairwell. The belt broke, causing the employee to fall approximately five feet onto the second step of the stairwell. He was hospitalized for rib fractures and a hand laceration.
On August 31, 2019, an employee was guiding a roll of film into a pizza sauce machine that was being lowered with an overhead hoist when the employee's hand was caught between the film roll shaft and the cradle of the pizza sauce machine. The employee pulled her hand back and received an amputation of the right index fingertip. The unbalanced film roll struck her on the right side of her face between the nose and cheek, causing blunt trauma to the face. She was hospitalized.
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 311412)
An employee was performing maintenance under a kettle. When he removed a tri-clamp on a transfer line, the hot fat and broth material in the kettle poured out onto his arm. The employee was hospitalized with burns.
An employee was walking on top of boiler to close a valve. The employee fell off the boiler and landed on the floor, sustaining fractured ribs. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was inspecting a pipe in the rice cooking area near an oven. While checking for a clog, the fingers of their right hand were caught in an airlock at the base of the pipe. All the fingers were amputated except the thumb. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.