Caught, entangled in running powered equipment normal operation · Amputations involving bone loss
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Supreme Rice, LLC, 102 south 13th street, MERMENTAU, LOUISIANA 70556
on — Amputations involving bone loss, affecting the Elbow(s).
Final narrative
An employee was crossing under a conveyor to get to the other side when his jacket sleeve was caught in the conveyor. The employee's right hand and arm were pulled into the machine and he sustained severe lacerations that resulted in surgical amputation of the lower right arm.
An employee was unclogging a bran airlock system. After removing a pipe spool piece and removing bran from inside the airlock, the employee turned the machine on to see if it was unlogged. The machine then crushed the employee's left hand.
An employee was repairing a manlift because the cables had come off the pulley. He was putting the cable back on the counterweight when both hands became caught in the cable and pulley, resulting in the amputation of the left index finger and the tip of the right ring finger.
An employee was using a pallet wrapper machine when the chain on the roller conveyor broke. The employee fixed the chain then asked another employee to move the conveyor forward to have the chain jump back on the pulley. The employee suffered an amputation to the left middle finger.
A cable on a manlift came off the pulley. The injured employee grabbed the cable to place it back on the pulley. The manlift dropped, the cable was pulled tight, and the employee's left middle fingertip was crushed, resulting in an amputation.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was working on a production line. The employee went to retrieve parts that came out of the parts holder, and their left hand became caught between a chain and a sprocket. Three fingers on the hand were amputated.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was operating a pad printer. The employee's finger was caught in the printer and they suffered a fingertip amputation. The part of the printer that caught the employee's finger was unguarded at the time.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311423)
Two forklift drivers were stopped next to each other and were talking. The injured employee leaned out of their forklift as the other forklift was leaving and they became pinned between the two forklifts. The injured employee was hospitalized with a fractured rib and a lacerated lung.
At about 3:30 p.m. on May 8, 2025, an employee slipped and fell backward while walking around equipment. He landed on the ground, near a water trench into which a steam line and a condensation return line were piped. Hot water from the trench burned his back between the shoulder blades.
An employee was troubleshooting a motor when their right little finger became pinched between the belt and pulley, resulting in amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was driving a forklift to a shipping dock. While he was rounding a corner, a stack of totes fell, and the top of one of the totes struck the outside of his left calf. He was hospitalized.
A crew was preparing a 20-foot section of 12-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe to be swung into a welder using an excavator, where it would be welded onto a longer run of pipe. One employee was facing the longer pipe in the welder while the 20-foot section was being rigged. The 20-foot section moved and struck the employee's left knee. The employee's left leg was broken below the knee.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk and stubbed his toe on an elevated portion of concrete, causing him to trip and fall. The employee's right knee was dislocated.