Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Exquisita Tortillas, Inc., 700 W. Chapin, EDINBURG, TEXAS 78541
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
An employee was adjusting the mesh conveyor belt on the flour tortilla process line when their right ring finger was caught between the actuating piston and the conveyor frame. The fingertip was amputated and the employee was hospitalized.
HospitalizedAmputation Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) Conveyors unspecified
A temporary employee was mixing dough when he noticed dough stuck on a rod at an adjacent machine. He was attempting to clear out the dough when a moving part pinched and amputated his right ring fingertip between the part and the rod.
An employee was placing packs of tortillas into a machine that cuts the tortillas into triangles. The employee's fingers came in contact with the machine where it lowers to cut the strips.
Two employees were setting up a mandrel in the spindle of a machine. The mandrel was side-shifted while an employee's hand was on the mast of a powered industrial truck. The employee suffered crushing injuries that resulted in amputations to the middle and ring fingertips.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311830)
An employee was diagnosing the cause of a rear light malfunction on a forklift when the reverse gear engaged. The forklift moved backward and contacted the employee causing a metatarsal fracture in their left foot and injury to their lower right leg.
An employee was wiping down a shredder machine while it was turned off. After she was finished cleaning, she turned the machine on when the rollers of the machine caught her fingers, resulting in amputations to her index, middle and ring fingers.
Two employees were changing fuses for a fryer. The pump on the fryer was turned off, but the heat exchanger kept running. When the pump was turned back on, hot oil shot toward the filter. The filter box opened and sprayed the two injured employees with hot grease. The employees suffered burns to their backs, shoulders, and arms.
An employee was inserting corn tortillas into a corn cutting machine. The machine's air piston released and came down onto her left thumb, resulting in an amputation.
An employee was clearing an obstruction in a conveyor when his arm was pulled into the rollers of the conveyor. He suffered lacerations to the left arm and was hospitalized.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
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 was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.