Caught, entangled in running powered equipment normal operation · Amputations involving bone loss
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Mueller Copper Tube, 400 Mueller Road, FULTON, MISSISSIPPI 38843
on — Amputations involving bone loss, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
An employee was operating a pointer, which reduces the end of copper tubing and allows it to go through a smaller die set to reduce its diameter. It requires two plugs to be set in place to be inserted in the tubing before it can be reduced or pointed. When the machine cycled, the tip of the employee's left thumb was caught by the machine's entry point, severing the tip of the thumb. A partial amputation, which included a small section of bone, was required to repair the injury.
Amputation Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) Bending, rolling, shaping, stamping machinery unspecified
An employee was operating an overhead crane to transport a bundle of copper tubing. He went to lower the load as he was approaching a rack, but the suspended bundle of tubing suddenly jerked in the other direction. The bundle struck a nearby tool cabinet, and the cabinet tipped over. The employee went to prevent it from falling. However, the cabinet still fell over, striking his right arm and briefly pinning it against another object. The employee suffered a fractured right forearm that required hospitalization.
An employee was cleaning slag from a casting mold at a furnace. The molten copper dropped out of the mold too quickly, reacted with the mold cooling water, and blew out. The molten metal struck his right foot, hand, and torso, causing first-, second-, and third-degree burns.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was working on a production line. The employee went to retrieve parts that came out of the parts holder, and their left hand became caught between a chain and a sprocket. Three fingers on the hand were amputated.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was operating a pad printer. The employee's finger was caught in the printer and they suffered a fingertip amputation. The part of the printer that caught the employee's finger was unguarded at the time.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 331420)
An employee was loading an empty reel on the west reel take-up when they noticed that the wire lying on the east reel take-up had over-accumulated on one side of the reel, making it uneven. The employee stopped the east take-up machine and released tension on the wire to correct the lay. As the employee engaged a mechanical rotation function to take up the wire slack, their right little finger was crushed between two separate wire strands on the reel under tension, resulting in a fingertip amputation. The machine was guarded at the time of the incident.
An employee was operating an overhead crane to transport a bundle of copper tubing. He went to lower the load as he was approaching a rack, but the suspended bundle of tubing suddenly jerked in the other direction. The bundle struck a nearby tool cabinet, and the cabinet tipped over. The employee went to prevent it from falling. However, the cabinet still fell over, striking his right arm and briefly pinning it against another object. The employee suffered a fractured right forearm that required hospitalization.
An employee was working to manually clear copper tubes from the turnover rack due to a faulty sensor. As he used his right hand to remove a finished tube from the turnover rack, another tube pushed through the feed line and struck his gloved right ring fingertip. The sharp edge of the copper tube caused a soft tissue amputation to the bottom side of the fingertip.
An employee was cleaning slag from a casting mold at a furnace. The molten copper dropped out of the mold too quickly, reacted with the mold cooling water, and blew out. The molten metal struck his right foot, hand, and torso, causing first-, second-, and third-degree burns.
An employee was working with a drill press when his right glove was caught and pulled into the drill bit. The employee's little fingertip was partially amputated.
An employee was checking a pole-type transformer tank for leaks. A hydraulic clamping device was lowered onto his right thumb and crushed it against the sharp edge of the bottom of the tank. He suffered a partial transphalangeal amputation to the thumb.
The injured employee was standing behind a table. She jumped out to scare another employee, but tripped and fell on the tile floor, injuring her right ankle/foot. She was hospitalized with a dislocated ankle that required surgery.
An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was operating a gas tugger to lift metal sheeting. His left hand was pulled into the pulley, which crushed his left thumb, resulting in avulsions and other tissue damage. He was hospitalized and required surgery.