Machine Injury & Accidents

Date	City	State	Employer	Body Part	Event
2021-08-30	Flowery Branch	Ga	Bulkmatic LLC	Leg(s)	Struck by discharged object or substance
A driver was preparing to unload a tanker trailer into a customer's silo. When the driver removed a cap from the customer's air supply, pressure caused the cap to hit the driver's right leg. Their right leg was broken and lacerated.
2021-07-09	Midland	Tx	Sand Revolution II	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts
On July 9, 2021, employees were operating a mobile conveyor belt to load sand into a silo. The conveyor was experiencing belt issues and was being replaced with a new conveyor. The injured employee was operating the conveyor to fold it up so that it could be transported when the conveyor struck an overhead electrical line. The resulting arc flash burned the employee's left hand fingers.
2021-07-08	Alvada	Oh	M & B Asphalt Company, Inc.	Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders	Other jump to lower level
On July 8, 2021, an employee was on an extension ladder under the silo attempting to tighten a pin located on the inside of the silo. The employee was accessing the pin through a pocket door. The employee was startled and jumped off the ladder landing on a stabilizer bar below. The employee sustained broken ribs.
2021-06-11	Highlands	Tx	PLASTIPAK PACKAGING, INC.	Ankle(s)	Fall on same level due to slipping
While taking a level reading from a silo, an employee stepped out and slipped on a mixture of condensation and mud. The employee fell to the ground and sustained three broken ankle bones.
2021-05-15	Cochranton	Pa	Vitro Flat Glass, LLC	Multiple body parts	Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet
An employee was cleaning an area between silos/platforms. The employee stepped onto an area between silos and fell 10 feet onto enclosed conveyors below. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs and a fractured/dislocated shoulder.
2021-05-15	Galena Park	Tx	American Plant Food Corporation	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was clearing the silo so product would flow freely and suffered the amputation of two fingers.
2021-04-08	Bozeman	Mt	Darigold	Fingertip(s)	Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
An employee was loading milk into the milk tanker from the silos. The employee noticed a leak on the valve stem and went to stop the leak by tapping it. The valve closed on his left ring fingertip and amputated it.
2021-01-22	Carrollton	Tx	PPG Architectural Coatings, Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was troubleshooting the slide gate valve at the top of a materials silo. As the employee was reviewing the operation of the valve, the valve actuated and pinched his left thumb, resulting in a partial amputation.
2020-09-05	Fernandina Beach	Fl	Lignotech Florida, LLC	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
At around 2:00 AM, an employee was troubleshooting low suction on a housekeeping vacuum system. The employee was clearing a blockage when a rotary valve in the chute under the dust silo hopper closed and amputated his right index fingertip.
2020-08-12	Gainesville	Mo	Wilson Industries	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was investigating a jam when his left index fingertip was amputated inside a silo.
2020-07-27	Wheat Ridge	Colorado	Rocky Mountain Bottle Company LLC	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was working to clear a soda ash blockage that jammed the rotary feeder blades of a silo. Once the employee cleared the blockage, the rotary feeder blades rotated and amputated the second and third fingertips on the employee's left hand.
2020-07-05	Williamsport	Pennsylvania	Danzer Veneer Americas, Inc.	Foot (feet)	Struck by falling object or equipment
An employee was working at the opening of a silo. A metal panel, propped up next to the silo, slipped and fell to the ground, striking the employee's left foot and causing two fractures and a puncture wound.
2020-04-30	Calera	Alabama	Wiregrass Construction Company, Inc.	Forearm(s)	Struck by dislodged flying object, particle
An employee was operating a handheld grinder while grinding a patch on a silo to finish repairs when the disc shattered and fragmented pieces embedded into his left forearm, causing two lacerations.
2020-04-27	Aurora	Colorado	BIG HORN PLASTERING, INC.	Leg(s)	Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part
Three employees were trying to set up a concrete silo mixing plant and had the silo lifted on a forklift. The back legs on the silo needed to be adjusted to level out the silo. The legs were stuck, so the forklift was tilted forward to try and force the legs free by lowering it onto the ground. The silo slid forward and struck the employees, one of whom suffered a fractured leg and was hospitalized for surgery.
2020-02-11	San Benito	Texas	Chapa Quiroga, L.L.C.	Foot (feet)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee entered a silo (tank) to clean the remainder of the grain from it and handle the sweeper machine. While the other sweepers were operating, he stepped back and his foot went inside the sweeper. The sweeper machine caught his boot first and then his foot, causing an open wound and broken bone.
2020-01-24	Bowling Green	Missouri	SPARKS MAINTENANCE CONTRACTING, LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
An employee was moving silo panels when his left thumb was caught in a pinch point between a jib and a strap, resulting in a left thumb amputation.
2019-09-16	Kaukauna	Wisconsin	Ahlstrom-Munksjo	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee working as a coating press operator noticed that the starch silo had jammed and was attempting to clear the jam. When the jammed starch cleared, the auger actuated and contacted the employee's hand. The employee sustained a partial amputation to the right index finger, just below the first knuckle.
2019-07-28	Weatherford	Texas	Atkore International	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was purging material through a silo that has a rotary air lock on the bottom. Product was not flowing; when the employee tried to get the product flowing again, three fingers were amputated in the air-lock mechanism.
2019-07-16	West Chicago	Illinois	New Wincup Holdings INC.	BODY SYSTEMS	Exposure to environmental heat
On July 16, 2019, an employee was feeding product into a silo 30 minutes before the end of his shift. He began to sweat and have hip and lower back cramps, then later dizziness and vomiting. He was hospitalized for dehydration.
2019-06-25	Apopka	Florida	Florida Rock & Tank Lines, Inc.	Ankle(s)	Other fall to lower level
An employee was delivering a load of ready mix concrete to a location. The employee climbed on a silo's fixed ladder to adjust the customer's airline when the line came loose and startled the employee, who fell off the ladder and landed feet first. The employee suffered an ankle fracture.
2019-04-02	Junction	Texas	Allen Keller Company	Head and neck	Small-scale (limited) fire
An employee was using an infrared gun to check the temperature of hot mix that was being loaded into an elevator to feed a silo. The flames rose, burning his face and neck.
2019-03-26	Middlebranch	Ohio	Lehigh Cement Company, LLC	Fingertip(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was trying to clear cement from a cement silo knife gate. The gate closed on his left hand, amputating the tip of his little finger.
2019-03-05	Lufkin	Texas	Mast Lepley Storage Structures, Inc.	Ankle(s)	Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet
An employee was on a ladder trying to remove a concrete form from a grain silo that was being built. The form shifted, causing the employee to fall to the ground about 8 feet below. His ankle was broken and he was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
2018-08-26	Paincourtville	Louisiana	Lula-Westfield, LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was attempting to remove a chunk of lime from the rotary vein of a silo's rotary valve when the rotary vein pulled his right hand into the valve, resulting in a partial right little finger amputation.
2018-08-14	Lancaster	Pennsylvania	The Hershey Company	Trunk	Contact with hot objects or substances
An employee was performing a PM on a pump house silo pad steam station when a steam valve was actuated, releasing steam and hot condensate on the employee. He sustained second degree burns on his torso.
2018-08-03	Brighton	Colorado	The Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Entangled in other object or equipment
An employee was using a steel rod to break up sugar lumps in a silo when the rod was pulled in by the silo's screw conveyor and the employee's right hand was caught in the rod handle, amputating the right pinky, ring, and middle fingers.
2018-07-15	Dallas	Texas	Oak Farms Dairy	Abdomen, except internal location of diseases or disorders	Struck by object or equipment
An employee was pumping raw milk from a tanker truck into a silo when he noticed a connection was leaking. He stood in front of the pipe to tighten the clamp when the pipe separated from the clamp, striking him in the lower abdomen. He was hospitalized.
2018-06-12	Culdesac	Idaho	Clearwater Seed, L.L.C.	Lower leg(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery
An employee was shoveling pellets into a silo toward the auger. Pellets shifted under the employee when the auger was turned on. The employee's right foot was caught in the auger resulting in amputation of the lower leg.
2018-04-13	Lorena	Texas	Big Creek Construction	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck by falling object or equipment
An employee was fixing the gate to a silo at a concrete batch plant when the gate fell and caught his right thumb, resulting in an amputation.
2018-04-08	Meridian	Mississippi	Atlas Roofing Corporation	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was checking the granule flow from a silo to a conveyor when the silo pneumatic door closed on his right ring finger, resulting in an amputation.
2018-03-31	Horn Lake	Mississippi	JT Shannon Lumber Company	Multiple body parts	Fire
Employees were trying to contain a fire at the bottom of a silo using a water hose. After they contained the fire, an employee opened the silo's side door and a small explosion occurred. One of the employee's suffered second degree burns on the forearms and face (right side).
2018-03-15	Scranton	Arkansas	RIVER VALLEY ANIMAL FOODS	Shoulder(s) and arm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was entering a chicken meal silo to perform a 6-month cleanout when the silo sweep arm activated while the employee was inside. The employee's lifeline became tangled in the sweep arm, and the employee was pulled into the sweep arm and auger, suffering fractures and soft tissue injuries to the left scapula and humerus.
2018-02-07	Hope	Arkansas	SOUTHERN BAKERIES, LLC	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was replacing the belt on the blower motor of a flour silo when the motor energized and amputated the left middle fingertip.
2017-09-11	Streamwood	Illinois	Labor Network	Lower leg(s)	Other fall to lower level
An employee was cleaning a flour silo when he went up to hook his harness and the ladder slipped beneath him. He fell and broke his tibia.
2017-09-01	Pleasant Prairie	Wisconsin	Wisconsin Electric Power Company	Fingertip(s)	Struck by falling object or equipment
On September 1, 2017, an employee was standing and waiting for a silo to empty when a piece of angle iron fell from above and struck the employee's hand, amputating the thumb tip.
2017-08-11	Laurel	Mississippi	Dunn Road Builders	Leg(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was cleaning asphalt from a silo door when his legs became caught in a rotating conveyor. Both legs were amputated.
2017-04-29	Riceboro	Georgia	SNF Holding Company	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was attempting to clear clogged material from a silo's inspection port when the rotary valve flights caught and amputated the fleshy pad of his left index finger.
2017-04-14	Rheems	Pennsylvania	Wenger Feeds, LLC	Brain	Fall to lower level
An employee entered a corn silo to free up a jammed grain sweep when the corn he was standing on gave way, causing him to fall and strike the weights of the machine. He was hospitalized for possible fractured ribs and head trauma.
2017-03-30	Port Arthur	Texas	OXBOW CALCINING LLC	Foot (feet)	Struck by falling object or equipment, n.e.c.
Three employees were in a large interior area underneath a concrete silo. They were moving a screw conveyor housing out of the way in an area where they were planning to install a new screw conveyor flight. As they pushed the screw conveyor housing across the concrete floor, the front vertical angle iron support broke at the welded connection to the housing. As the housing fell approximately 21 inches to the ground, the injured employee's right foot was caught underneath and fractured. The injur
2016-08-02	Murtaugh	Idaho	Pure Grain Commodities, LLC	Leg(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
While cleaning out a grain silo, an employee contacted a running auger in the floor, tearing four leg ligaments.
2016-07-05	Arlington	South Dakota	Prairie Ag Partners	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was helping a millwright remove a backstop from the grain leg of a silo when the employee's left thumb was partially amputated by a de-energized belt and pulley that moved due to the weight of the product in the cups on top of it.
2016-06-24	Brooklyn	New York	Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc	Fingertip(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was helping a mechanic demobilize a grout silo when his finger was caught between the support leg and the floor, lacerating his right middle finger and amputating part of the fingertip.
2016-06-04	Winter Garden	Florida	Argos USA	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was clearing an obstruction on a silo gate when the gate closed on and fractured his finger.
2016-05-24	Augusta	Wisconsin	Bush Brothers and Company	Wrist(s) and arm(s)	Fall on same level, n.e.c.
An employee was backfilling sugar from a sugar silo into a tanker truck when a lock on one of the trailer hatches gave way and released significant air pressure, throwing the employee to the ground. The employee broke the lower left arm and right wrist, requiring surgery.
2016-04-14	Forest Park	Illinois	Riggs Distler & Company, Inc.	Multiple body parts	Other fall to lower level
An employee was tossed from an aerial lift/bucket when the silo/pole being lifted broke away and struck the arm of the aerial lift. The employee sustained a broken left ankle and pelvis, a punctured lung, and a concussion.
2016-03-30	Albany	New York	ULTREPET LLC	Fingertip(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was looking under a cooling silo when his backside hit a switch that activated the knife gate. The knife gate amputated his left fore fingertip and middle fingertip. The knife gate was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
2016-02-18	Salt Lake City	Utah	Halverson Company	Leg(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee went into the silo to make adjustments on the grain sweep. A coworker did not know that the employee was in the silo and turned on the grain sweep, which lacerated the employee's leg.
2016-02-12	Plant City	Florida	James Hardie Building Products, Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee responded to a call about issues in the silo. The blower motor amputated the employee's right index and middle fingers, and fractured the employee's ring finger. The employee underwent surgery.
2016-01-31	Bowling Green	Ohio	Phoenix Technologies International, LLC	BODY SYSTEMS	Indirect exposure to electricity
On January 31, 2016, an employee was hospitalized due to static shock that occurred while loading clean plastic flake into a silo from the overflow bag.
2016-01-15	Panama City	Florida	WestRock	Ankle(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
While an employee was removing the gear box from the chip silo and sliding it onto a four-wheeled cart, the cart moved and pinched his left ankle between the cart and the outside wall of the chip silo, fracturing it. He was hospitalized.
2016-01-08	Waukesha	Wisconsin	Renaissance Manufacturing Group, LLC	Multiple body parts	Fire
While shoveling sand from a sand silo, two employees were burned when a flash fire/explosion occurred. They were hospitalized with face and hand burns.
2015-09-22	Peoria	Illinois	PRAIRIE MATERIAL	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck by dislodged flying object, particle
An employee was using a hand operated push hammer to unclog the fly ash silo. A dislodged piece of fly ash pinned the employee's finger and when the employee jerked their hand out the finger was lacerated.
2015-08-11	Wakefield	Nebraska	Naturally Recycled Protiens, L.L.C.	Nonclassifiable	Explosion, n.e.c.
An employee was injured in an silo explosion.
2015-08-08	Schuyler	Nebraska	Central AG Builders, L.L.C.	Nonclassifiable	Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet
A worker was travelling down a belted manlift in a grain silo. The platform the worker was standing on shifted and the worker fell 15 feet to the concrete floor below.
2015-07-01	Firestone	Colorado	Asphalt Specialties Company, Inc.	Multiple face locations	Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker
On 7/1/15 an employee was working at the Firestone Plant in the scale house, when it was discovered that a gate on the asphalt silo had a broken bolt and was not functioning properly. At ~ 12:40 AM while attempting to replace the bolt, his crowbar slipped and struck him in the face. He was admitted for in-patient hospitalization for a fractured bone above the eye (no eye loss/damage) and a fractured cheek bone.
2015-05-09	Cleveland	Ohio	Kokosing Materials, Inc	Brain	Struck by or caught in swinging door or gate
An employee was attempting to fix an air/oiler on an air tank under an asphalt silo. The safety gate released and hit the employee in the head.
2015-04-27	Opelousas	Louisiana	Cal-Chlor	Nonclassifiable	Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue
An employee was transferring calcium chloride from a railcar to a silo using a bucket elevator. A heavy downpour occurred during this process and water entered the bucket elevator. The elevator became choked and the employee attempted to clear the choke using water. This created an exothermic reaction and the employee suffered burns and also fell down some stairs as he was leaving the area.
2015-04-01	King Ferry	New York	Fessenden Dairy	Leg(s)	Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet
An employee fell 16 feet from a bunk silo, breaking his leg and requiring hospitalization.
2015-03-23	Bucyrus	Ohio	Ohio Polytech, LLC	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
On or about March 23, 2015, an employee received a thumb tip amputation while trying to remove a chain and sprocket from a calcium silo system. The system was not locked out at the time of the incident.
2015-02-03	Beulah	North Dakota	Valley Grain Milling	Brain	Other fall to lower level
Employee was going down stairs that had snow on them to check movement underneath the grain silos. He slipped down the stairs or fell forward and hit his head on the concrete floor.