Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Amputations involving bone loss
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Dingess Lumber Company, 6151 Barbour County Highway, BELINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA 26250
on — Amputations involving bone loss, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was removing a stuck slab from the gang saw and amputated their left ring finger.
Amputation Other finger(s) n.e.c. Stationary sawing machinery stationary n.e.c.
An employee was bent over picking up scrap wood at the transfer case rolls when their hand got caught in the rolls, resulting in a partial amputation of the fingertips on their left hand.
On December 29, 2017, at approximately 11:30 a.m., an employee was operating a chipper when a piece of wood became stuck in the mouth of the chipper. As he was attempting to pry the wood loose, he slipped and his left hand went approximately 20 inches into the mouth of the chipper and contacted the moving knives, amputating the index and middle fingers on his left hand. The chipper was running at the time of the incident.
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 423310)
An employee was walking down the off ramp from a box truck, carrying a door for delivery. A strong wind caught the door, causing the employee to lose balance and fall about 2 to 3 feet to the ground. He landed on his back and suffered a broken vertebra.
An employee was delivering lumber to a customer's job site. He was using a truck-mounted forklift to transport the material to the staging area. The surface of the path of travel changed from asphalt to soil and rock with a slight downward grade. When the forklift moved onto the softer surface, it sank into the ground and its center of gravity shifted forward, causing it to tip over. The employee's right arm sustained a closed, supracondylar humerus fracture.
An employee was helping two forklift operators move and inventory flat sheet metal that was staged on racks. The metal fell off one side and struck the employee's arms and abdomen. The employee sustained a laceration above the left eye, a left forearm injury, and a ruptured spleen. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.