Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Hearthside Food Solutions, LLC, 775 State Rt 251, WENONA, ILLINOIS 61377
on — Fractures , affecting the Rib(s), oblique area.
Final narrative
An employee was walking down a flight of stairs from a catwalk to a production area. The employee missed a step, fell down the stairs, and suffered broken ribs.
Hospitalized Rib(s), oblique area Stairs, steps
More severe injuries at Hearthside Food Solutions, LLC
An employee was performing maintenance on a tray packer. They put a piece of cardboard down onto the belt of the tray packer and stood on the belt. The belt started, causing the employee to lose balance and fall approximately 2 feet. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured ankle and required surgery.
An employee was clearing a jam on a forming machine when their right hand was caught by the plunger, resulting in a partial amputation of the middle finger and a laceration to the back of the hand. The machine was guarded at the time.
On February 25, 2024, an employee was cleaning dough off a roller when their right hand and fingers were caught in a pinch point between a laminator roller and conveyor resulting in fractures and lacerations.
On January 16, 2023, an employee was pushing a cr me tub under the vibratory system when her right-hand fingers were caught between the handle of the tub and the bottom of the vibratory system s framework. The employee sustained fingertip amputations to the third and fourth fingers on her right hand.
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 unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
An employee slipped while descending in a stairwell, fell, and suffered multiple contusions/bruises to the head, neck, shoulders, knees, and back. She was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311821)
An employee was using an air hose to blow built-up dough off the rollers under the cutting apron on a conveyor belt line. The air stopped working and they went to manually remove the dough when their right hand was pulled into the pinch point between the apron and roller. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture to their right forearm that required surgery.
An employee was conducting maintenance work on an stainless steel auger feeder (flexible screw conveyor) in the seasoning room. The lower end of the feeder came loose from the hopper. The employee lifted the auger to position it when the auger feed initiated and energized the auger. His hands were pulled into the auger, resulting in hospitalization with a partial amputation of the right thumb.
An employee was troubleshooting a packaging machine. While adjusting the air pressure of the machine, the forming head triggered and the lever struck his left index finger. The finger was cut and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was retrieving a pen that fell under a cross conveyor when her right arm became entrapped between the conveyor belt and the underside drive roller. Her forearm was fractured.
An employee was clearing a jam on a forming machine when their right hand was caught by the plunger, resulting in a partial amputation of the middle finger and a laceration to the back of the hand. The machine was guarded at the time.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.