Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at FRITO-LAY, INC., 1200 Hwy 247 S, KATHLEEN, GEORGIA 31047
on — Fractures , affecting the Forearm(s).
Final narrative
An employee went to clean out a back-up of potatoes on a potato recycling conveyor and inspect the line to see what was causing the issue. When removing potatoes that had become lodged in the sprocket end, their right arm was caught in the sprocket, causing a fracture of the distal radial shaft of their forearm. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee's right middle fingertip was caught between a chain and a sprocket in a machine. The fingertip was amputated. The machine was unguarded at the time.
An employee was working to clear a jammed box in a box drop area. The employee's left thumb was caught and amputated between a box drop tray and a support bar.
An employee slowed his forklift in a warehouse aisle as another forklift turned from an intersecting aisle. The employee's left arm was pinned between the two forklifts. The employee developed compartment syndrome.
An employee adjusted a pallet on racking and was walking back to their parked stand-up forklift when they were struck by another stand-up forklift. The employee fell into the racking system and sustained a fractured pelvis and ribs.
An employee was walking while doing product inventory. The employee slipped and fell on metal decking and sustained a laceration to their left shin and calf area. The employee required hospitalization and surgery.
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 311919)
While attending the slab line, an employee observed that dough was accumulating on the plastic blades. He proceeded to clean the blades. His left index finger came into contact with an adjacent blade that moves laterally (left to right), resulting in a partial amputation.
A sanitation employee entered the chemical room and slipped on the wet floor. When he slipped, he kicked over a bucket containing cleaning chemicals. The chemicals splashed onto the employee's clothing and burned his skin.
An employee's right middle fingertip was caught between a chain and a sprocket in a machine. The fingertip was amputated. The machine was unguarded at the time.
An employee had just finished unloading material from a truck. He was descending using the truck's built-in ladder when he missed the last rung, fell to the ground, and broke his hip and left wrist.
An employee was using a handheld grinder to cut a bolt. The grinding wheel broke apart and a fragment struck the employee s right hand, causing a laceration to the palm near the little finger.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
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.