Struck by running powered equipment during maintenance, cleaning, testing · Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at TOOTSIE ROLL INDUSTRIES, INC., 7401 S. CICERO AVE., CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60629
on — Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures, affecting the Upper arm(s).
Final narrative
Candy fell inside a conveyor and caused a jam. An employee was clearing the jam when his right bicep was lacerated and he was hospitalized. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
Hospitalized Upper arm(s) Conveyors unspecified
More severe injuries at TOOTSIE ROLL INDUSTRIES, INC.
At 9:45 p.m. on February 23, 2022, a guard slipped and fell while walking security rounds near a dock door. The employee landed on the ground and suffered a broken pelvis, as well as a soft tissue injury.
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 311340)
An employee was performing sanitation on top of a bagger machine mezzanine that was 98 inches above ground. The top of the bagger mezzanine was accessed using a rolling safety ladder that was welded in place. The employee was coming down the ladder carrying a a 5-gallon bucket when they slipped and fell to the floor, suffering a broken neck and right index finger.
An employee was pushing a cart of raw centers back into the oven and was pushing down latches on the cart with his fingers while another associate pushed the stack of mogul boards back into the oven. The stack sits on rollers. The employee's fingers were not clear of the shear area and his left middle fingertip was amputated between the metal framed mogul board pallet and the cart latch area.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift and driving behind a sit-down forklift when they contacted the rear of the sit-down forklift. The employee's left foot was caught between the two forklifts and fractured, and they had skin tear on their lower leg.
An employee was cleaning a sizer machine with an air hose and washcloth. The washcloth got pulled into machine rollers along with her left thumb, resulting in a fingertip amputation that required surgical reattachment.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.