Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at National Beef Packing Co, 1501 E. 8th St., LIBERAL, KANSAS 67905
on — Fractures , affecting the Arm(s) unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was walking through a parking lot when they lost their balance and fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a broken left arm.
Hospitalized Arm(s) unspecified Other constructed surface
An employee sawing a femur bone sawed into his/her right index finger, lacerating tendons and requiring hospitalization. No hand guard was worn at the time of the incident.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.
An employee was talking to a child on the playground, when the child grabbed her hand to lead her away. The employee stepped, lost her balance, and fell over. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture of her lower left leg and required surgery.
An employee was lowering a safe stack beam inside a trailer. The beam released, causing the employee to fall back and strike his head on the trailer floor. He was hospitalized with a brain bleed and a concussion.
An employee was on the ground working to close a trailer door. The door was caught by the wind and blew the employee backward. He landed on his back and sustained four fractured ribs, requiring hospitalization.
A temporary employee was working to unclog butter from a butter melter pump. His right index finger was caught in the machine, and the fingertip was amputated. The machine was energized at the time.
An employee working at the reject conveyor was placing a product guide bar on the conveyor. This metal guide bar is placed on the side of the conveyor belt to funnel the product, preventing it from falling off the sides. As he was getting the attachment positioned, his left ring finger was caught between the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt frame. The employee's finger was fractured and partially amputated.
An employee was using a pneumatic impact wrench to tighten bolts on a brake press anvil. The impact wrench hooked up on something, causing the tool to rotate. This spun his left hand with it. Their index finger was pinched between the side handle of the tool and an anvil bolt on the press, resulting in an open fracture. The employee required a medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was cleaning the area under a mobile elevated work platform. The platform lowered and struck the employee, resulting in a fractured right femur. The employee was hospitalized.
As an employee was opening an infeed valve. Hot tallow oil in the line above fell back down the pipe and came out of an open pressure relief valve, striking the employee on the thighs. The employee was hospitalized with second-degree burns to his thigh. Another employee sustained burns to their back but they were not hospitalized.
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.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.