Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Multiple severe wounds and internal injuries
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at 3M Company, 1425 Stokke Parkway, MENOMONIE, WISCONSIN 54751
on — Multiple severe wounds and internal injuries, affecting the Hand(s), finger(s) unspecified.
Final narrative
At about 10:00 a.m. on July 13, 2025, an employee was cleaning the adhesive from running rollers using a rag soaked in cleaning solvent to prevent contamination. The rag was caught between two rollers and pulled the employee's right hand between the rollers. The employee sustained right hand crushing injuries, de-gloving injuries (palmer and dorsal sides), and fractures. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
On May 8, 2025, an employee developed a cough while cleaning up chemical sewage from the floor. He was hospitalized, having suffered an allergic reaction to chemical product vapors.
An employee was walking between a stack of pallets and a rack when they tripped over a pallet and fell to the floor. The employee sustained a left hip fracture.
An employee was setting up the coding station on a piece of equipment when they took a step back and tripped on a guard that was on the floor. The employee fell onto one leg, resulting in a left hip fracture. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was removing a carbon dioxide line when red liquid was found on the ground. The employee reported a "red spot" on their left wrist, inside elbow, and chest after washing down the spill. The employee experiencing escalation of symptoms, including a rash/burn on their arms and respiratory symptoms after the shift. The employee was hospitalized with chemical pneumonitis, chemical dermatitis, and chemical asthma exacerbation.
Two employees were lowering a large roll using a hoist. One employee's hand was caught between the roll's steel core and a storage rack, causing a thumb injury with exposed tissue.
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 326113)
A subcontracted engineer was advising maintenance how to make a modification to the embossing roll system on a new line. Maintenance was bringing the motor and gearbox down with a crane. The load shifted when it was a few inches from the ground. The engineer went to catch/maneuver the gearbox and the fingers on his left hand were crushed between the I-beam base of the gearbox and the concrete floor. A finger was amputated.
On July 30, 2025, an employee was assisting co-workers in using a hoist to position an injection molding tool onto a work table. As the tool was being lowered, the slide section shifted, trapping and amputating the employee's right thumb tip.
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An employee went to remove the air bar from a roll of plastic sheeting and needed to unjam a shaft that was stuck inside a metal core. He stood on one side of the shaft and core, and went to push/pull the shaft out of the core in order to free the core. The shaft became free all at once, pulling the core toward the employee; his fingers were pinched between the core and the shaft. His ring fingers on both hands sustained cuts and fractures and required stitches. His little fingertip was fractured and required surgical amputation.
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
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.
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An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.