Caught or wedged between objects nonrunning · Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Prairie Central Cooperative, Inc., 33559 Hazel Street, CHENOA, ILLINOIS 61726
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s).
Final narrative
On August 22, 2025, an employee was working to remove a blockage of grain from a spout in the basement. The gate was manually closed from the floor above to stop the flow of grain to the leg. The gate closed down on the employee, causing the amputation of their left middle fingertip.
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 diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was changing the spacing on a telehandler's forks. A fork slipped, and the employee's left index finger was caught between it and the mast. The fingertip was medically amputated at the first knuckle.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 493130)
An employee was helping clean the bag house. He checked under the auger in the dust collection system to feel for airflow. His right hand was sucked up into the auger blade, resulting in amputation of the middle finger to the distal joint. Surgery was required to amputate to the finger to the second knuckle.
An employee was walking with a pole hand tool when he slipped on fertilizer product that was on the floor and fell backward. The employee sustained fractured ribs and a collapsed right lung.
On June 22, 2025, at approximately 4:30 PM, an employee was working in a field with knife-style anhydrous applicator equipment used to fertilize corn. The employee inhaled anhydrous ammonia. The employee had difficulty breathing and speaking. They were hospitalized with a respiratory tract injury/irritation.
An employee was exposed to grain dust (corn and wheat) while cleaning a soak bin without a dust mask. The employee was hospitalized for dust accumulation in their lungs.
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.