Machine Injury & Accidents

Date	City	State	Employer	Body Part	Event
2021-10-27	Fort Smith	Ar	Davis Iron & Metals	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was cutting copper tubing with an alligator shear. Oil from the copper tubing got onto the employee's gloves causing the employee's left hand to slip into the jaw of the shear. The employee sustained a partial amputation to the left middle fingertip.
2021-10-13	Fort Smith	Ar	Sunbelt Chemical & Equipment Inc	Multiple body parts	Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet
At 2:30 p.m. on October 13, 2021, an employee was on top of a pump truck, replacing the cone insert on the cyclone tank. He fell about 11 feet, striking a mounted toolbox before hitting the ground. He suffered a broken right leg below the knee, a compressed lower back vertebra, and a contusion to the right buttock. He was hospitalized.
2021-10-06	Fort Smith	Ar	Hooks & Associates Inc	Forearm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
At 8:50 a.m. on October 6, 20201, an employee was positioned behind a metal shear to help hold a piece of material about to be cut. As the shearing machine was engaged, its vertically moving backstop pinched the employee's left arm against a table below, in place to catch clippings. The employee suffered broken bones just above the wrist and was hospitalized.
2021-09-07	Fort Smith	Ar	OK FOODS INC.	Nonclassifiable	Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area
An employee was winching cages down to a drop-deck live-haul trailer. The terminal tractor moved in reverse and the employee was pinned between the fifth wheel and the trailer kingpin area. The employee suffered multiple fractures and lacerations.
2021-08-13	Fort Smith	Ar	TEC Staffing Services	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was using an air gun to blow saw dust off wood when his hand contacted the router bit on the machine, resulting in a left thumb amputation.
2021-08-05	Fort Smith	Ar	First Staff Employment	Foot (feet)	Collision between a moving and standing vehicle, nonroadway
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift when its steering tire got stuck in a hole in the concrete dock. Another forklift was being used to push the employee's lift when its fork entered the employee's cab and broke his left foot. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
2021-07-29	Fort Smith	Ar	United Parcel Service	BODY SYSTEMS	Exposure to environmental heat
At 3:00 p.m. on July 29, 2021, an employee developed heat-related illness while driving a package delivery car. The illness caused the employee to get into an accident, and the employee was hospitalized.
2021-07-17	Fort Smith	Ar	Georgia-Pacific	Foot (feet) and ankle(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
On 7/17/2021, at approximately 6:30 p.m., a temporary employee was operating a battery powered pallet jack. While walking backward, he tripped over the forks of a parked forklift. The pallet jack continued moving, rolling up onto his right leg and fracturing the ankle and foot. The employee was hospitalized.
2021-06-03	Fort Smith	Ar	Rheem Manufacturing Company	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was operating a large manufacturing press when their left ring finger became caught in the press, resulting in a partial amputation just above the first knuckle.
2021-01-22	Fort Smith	Ar	First Staff Employment	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was stacking lumber from a conveyor. The employee's glove came into contact with the conveyor's chain and sprocket, causing the amputation of the employee's right ring fingertip.
2021-01-18	Fort Smith	Ar	OK Foods	Forearm(s)	Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part
An employee was using a motor-driven lift to raise a tank of chicken to dump into another machine. The chain being turned by the motor misfed and stopped the lift, causing the motor to shake and loosen the bolts that anchored it to its housing. The employee lowered the tank, reset it on the lift, and began to raise it again when the motor fell approximately 10 feet from its housing and struck the employee's right forearm, resulting in a fracture and laceration.
2020-09-17	Fort Smith	Ar	CSM Corporation	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was setting a press die. As he fed material into the press, the die amputated a fingertip.
2020-08-20	Fort Smith	Ar	OK Foods Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was moving a tote of chicken when their right thumb and index finger were pinched by the belt drive on the shaker table resulting in a partial amputation.
2020-07-08	Fort Smith	Arkansas	BOYD METALS	Fingertip(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was helping load a semi-trailer truck. As steel material was being placed on the truck, it amputated the employee's left middle fingertip.
2020-02-14	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Glatfelter Advanced Materials NA, LLC	Fingertip(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
Two employees were moving a 3-inch shaft. The shaft slipped and trapped one employee's left index finger against the rollers of the trough below. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
2019-08-07	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Ryder System Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
Two employees were moving a 55-gallon drum containing windshield wiper fluid. One of the employees had to re-position the barrel from the vertical to the horizontal position using a rocking stand and strap. As the employee was positioning the barrel, it slipped. The employee's right pinky finger was caught between the drum and stand, resulting in a finger amputation.
2019-05-06	Fort Smith	Arkansas	OK Foods Inc.	Forearm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee working near a conveyor was reaching for a bag of cooked chicken when her sleeve was caught in a rotating shaft resulting in a broken left radius and ulna.
2019-03-29	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Pruitt Tool & Supply Co., Inc	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck by object or equipment dropped by injured worker
An employee was assisting a forklift driver with moving flanges. The last flange fell over. The employee walked over to stand the flange up. The employee picked up the flange and it slipped from his hand. The employee's left ring finger was crushed between the flange and a pallet and amputated.
2019-03-20	Fort Smith	Arkansas	FIRST STAFF EMPLOYMENT AGENCY	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
A temporary employee was operating a pipe cutting machine and had his hand on a pipe when the machine was activated via the foot pedal. The machine engaged and crushed his right index finger, resulting in an amputation of the entire digit.
2019-03-06	Fort Smith	Arkansas	OK Foods Inc.	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was performing maintenance on an air-gate. The door of the gate closed on the employee's hand, amputating the tip of his right middle finger.
2019-01-28	Fort Smith	Arkansas	GRAPHIC PACKAGING INTL.	Eye(s)	Struck by dislodged flying object, particle
When an employee clipped the metal banding on a paperboard roll, the banding snapped and struck the employee in the left eye causing a laceration.
2019-01-16	Fort Smith	Arkansas	OK Foods Inc.	Forearm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was working to unjam a reject bin when her glove was caught in a conveyor belt sprocket. The force fractured the employee's right ulna and radius.
2018-09-26	Fort Smith	Arkansas	KAJACS CONTRACTORS, INC.	Face	Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker
An employee was cutting a 6-foot pipe with a chop saw when the blade kicked back, hitting the employee in the face.
2018-06-07	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Gerdau Macsteel	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was operating a lathe to test a 1" diameter, 6" long metal part. The part had a burr and the burr caught the employee's glove pulling his fingers into the lathe. The skin on his left index and middle fingers was degloved to the middle knuckle resulting in surgical amputation at the middle knuckle.
2018-05-16	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Midwest Automation	BODY SYSTEMS	Indirect exposure to electricity
An employee was welding an 8-inch pipe into a future furnace. The electrode holder "stinger" came in contact with the pipe while the employee was also touching the pipe, creating a circuit through the employee to the ground. The employee received an electric shock and lost consciousness, requiring hospitalization.
2018-02-28	Fort Smith	Arkansas	ABB, Inc.	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
An employee was talking with his supervisor when he tripped over a drum dolly and fell, breaking his hip.
2018-01-11	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Exide Technologies, Inc.	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was attempting to straighten a jar on a sealer machine's assembly line. At the same time, another employee pushed on the opposite side of the jar, causing it to cross the machine's eye. The machine then cycled, and the sealer came down on and amputated the first employee's left index fingertip.
2017-10-05	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Glatfelter Advanced Materials NA, LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment
An employee was manually rotating a transfer drum when his hands and fingers contacted the cutting mechanism inside the drum. His right ring and middle fingers were amputated, and his left hand was lacerated.
2017-08-25	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Twin Rivers Foods - Ft Smith	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was operating a saw while wearing a stainless steel mesh glove when his glove contacted the sawblade. His left index finger was then pulled into the blade, amputating the fingertip.
2017-08-01	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Shared Services Center	Shoulder(s), including clavicle(s), scapula(e)	Fall on same level due to slipping
An employee was picking up her lunch in the cafeteria when she slipped and fell on the wet floor, dislocating her shoulder and breaking her clavicle. She was hospitalized.
2017-07-07	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Gerdau Macsteel	BODY SYSTEMS	Exposure to environmental heat
On 7/7/2017, an employee began to feel unwell after monitoring equipment while steel solidified. He was hospitalized for heat exhaustion.
2017-02-11	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Gerdau Macsteel	Pelvis	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was inspecting a bundle of steel when the overhead crane that carried the steel bundle actuated and pinched the employee between the steel bundle and a steel bundle carrier. He suffered pelvic fractures and crushing injuries to his left hand.
2017-01-26	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Gerdau Macsteel	Pelvis	Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area
An employee was struck by a pallet on a forklift that was being operated in the area where he was working. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
2017-01-10	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Industrial Tooling, Inc.	Multiple body parts	Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire
An employee was filling an oxygen cylinder from a large cylinder. Another employee pushed the booster pump and the cylinder exploded. Both employee were hospitalized for burns to the abdomen, arms, chest and face.
2016-08-12	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Water Tech, Inc.	Eye(s)	Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue
An employee was pressure flushing a clogged drain pipe that contained a caustic chemical with a pressure washer. The caustic substance in the drain pipe was pushed back out by the water pressure and splashed into the employee's face. His safety glasses were knocked off by the pressure and the caustic chemical got into his eyes. He was hospitalized.
2016-06-27	Fort Smith	Arkansas	FORSGREN, INC.	Neck, except internal location of diseases or disorders	Struck by falling object or equipment, n.e.c.
An employee was operating a backhoe when he struck a security gate. When he attempted to lift the security gate, the gate fell on him and fractured his neck.
2016-06-10	Fort Smith	Arkansas	General Pallets - Fort Smith Facility	Fingertip(s)	Struck by dislodged flying object, particle
An employee was picking up a stack of boards behind the chamfer machine when the machine malfunctioned, causing the sawblades to throw the boards. The boards slammed onto the employee's left middle finger, amputating the fingertip.
2016-06-06	Fort Smith	Arkansas	GRAPHIC PACKAGING INTL.	Fingertip(s)	Struck by or caught in swinging door or gate
An employee was exiting a restroom when the self-closing door closed on and amputated her right pinky fingertip.
2016-04-21	Fort Smith	Arkansas	HUGG AND HALL EQUIPMENT COMPANY	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was repairing a forklift used in the facility. While the employee's hands were inside the forklift making repairs, the forklift shifted, amputating the employee's left index finger and lacerating his other fingers.
2016-04-01	Fort Smith	Arkansas	United Rentals Inc	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was checking the operation of the concrete mixer after the belts were replaced and the pulleys were realigned. The employee's right middle finger was caught between the mixer's belt and pulley, partially amputating the right middle fingertip.
2016-02-01	Fort Smith	Arkansas	KELLY SERVICES, INC.	Foot (feet)	Part of occupant’s body caught between vehicle and other object in nonroadway transport incident
An employee was moving a roll of paper with a pallet jack when his left foot was pinned between a piece of angle iron and the pallet jack, fracturing four bones.
2015-11-06	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Packers Sanitation Services Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was spraying water with a hose onto the floor and auger. The employee removed the drain cap from the auger and attempted to remove a piece of meat. The employee's left middle finger got caught and amputated in the auger.
2015-10-30	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Twin Rivers Foods Inc	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
An employee was cleaning the scraper belt and lacerated his left thumb when his glove was caught between the scraper belt and the freezer line.
2015-10-22	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Hiland Dairy Foods Company LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee's right index finger was partially amputated above the first joint when it was caught in the case machine while unjamming it.
2015-10-14	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Gerber Products Co.	Brain	Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area
An employee was working on the caser line in the packaging area adjusting the caser machine. In the process of moving away from the caser machine, the employee was knocked down by an oncoming forklift delivering a load of materials in the packaging area. The employee hit his head on the concrete floor and was hospitalized for a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.
2015-09-16	Fort Smith	Arkansas	HSM Solutions	Arm(s)	Struck by object or equipment dropped by injured worker
An employee was removing a metal product from a storage rack and lost his grip on the product causing the product to fall and lacerate his right arm.
2015-09-14	Fort Smith	Arkansas	BALDOR	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was working with a pin press machine and placed his hand inside the machine to remove the pin. The pin press cycled and his right index finger was amputated at the first joint.
2015-09-11	Fort Smith	Arkansas	CINTAS	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping
An employee tripped and fell fracturing her left hip.
2015-08-19	Fort Smith	Arkansas	SPARKS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to slipping
An employee was walking down the hallway. While turning to the elevator, she slipped and fell, fracturing her right hip on the wet floor. She was hospitalized.
2015-08-16	Fort Smith	Arkansas	GEORGIA PACIFIC CORPORATION	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was operating a plate forming press when his right hand got caught between the plate press. Three right-hand fingers (index, middle, and ring fingers) were lacerated, and the employee was hospitalized.
2015-07-28	Fort Smith	Arkansas	EXIDE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.	BODY SYSTEMS	Exposure to environmental heat
An employee was operating a pasting machine when he began feeling ill. He went to the break room and experience a rapid heart beat. He was hospitalized overnight for heat exhaustion.
2015-06-18	Fort Smith	Arkansas	OK Foods, Inc.	Upper arm(s)	Part of occupant’s body caught between vehicle and other object in nonroadway transport incident
An employee on a forklift reached out with her right hand to hit a button to activate the dock door. Her foot slipped off the brake of the forklift. The forklift rolled forward and the employee's arm was caught between the upright on the forklift and a bollard post. She sustained a laceration to her forearm that required stitches and overnight hospitalization.
2015-04-23	Fort Smith	Arkansas	ArcBest Technology, Inc.	Hip(s)	Fall on same level
An employee was walking on the company walking trail when she fell and broke her hip.
2015-02-13	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Outback Steakhouse	Arm(s)	Slip on substance without fall
Employee slipped on a wet floor and grabbed onto a fryer to stop himself from falling. When doing so, his arm went into the fryer and he sustained severe burns to his right arm.
2015-01-12	Fort Smith	Arkansas	Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
The employee was tightening a belt on the wood chipper. After the repair, the employee turned the machine off. While the machine was coasting to a stop the employee got his left hand caught between the belt and pulley of the wood chipper, resulting in the amputation of two fingers.