Machine Injury & Accidents

Date	City	State	Employer	Body Part	Event
2021-11-03	Blountsville	Al	TYSON FOODS, INC.	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was cleaning a piece of equipment with a vacuum hose when her index finger was caught between the vacuum hose and the piece of equipment, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
2021-10-30	Lamesa	Tx	US Agricultural Marketing Service	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was using a shredder. The vacuum on the shredder sucked the employee's finger into the blades, which amputated the tip of the employee's right middle finger.
2021-10-22	Hodgkins	Il	Rosaty Packaging Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
On October 22, 2021, at 10:30 a.m., an employee was trying to unjam a vacuum seal machine and suffered deep lacerations to the right index and middle fingers.
2021-10-22	Henderson	Tx	Sadler's Smokehouse	Arm(s)	Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
An employee was trying to disconnect the air line of a vacuum machine when the machine came down on their left arm, resulting in a fracture.
2021-10-12	Middletown	Ny	Ball Metal Beverage Container Corporation	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery
An employee's right hand entered a vacuum blower. The blower fan amputated one of the employee's fingertips.
2021-09-07	Sulphur Springs	Tx	Load Trail	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was investigating a possible malfunction in a vacuum cleaner system for removing powder paint from paint booths. While his right hand was in the discharge outlet of a rotary airlock valve on a dust collector, the blade inside the valve caught his glove and pulled his hand further in. He suffered partial amputations to two fingers, losing half of each one.
2021-09-02	Opelika	Al	Cumberland Plastic Solutions	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was troubleshooting a vacuum system when a pneumatic cylinder actuated and struck his right index finger. He was hospitalized and suffered an amputation.
2021-08-25	Tulsa	Ok	The Nordam Group, LLC	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
Two employees were pushing a parts rack through a facility. They stopped to move two vacuum pack hoses that were on the floor blocking the path of travel. While one of the employees was moving the vacuum packs, he stepped on the hoses, lost his balance, fell into a guardrail, and then landed on his right hip. His hip was broken.
2021-08-21	Pearl Harbor	Hi	International Marine & Industrial Applicators LLC	Arm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was doing housekeeping work with a 150-horsepower industrial vacuum. The vacuum sucked in a piece of plastic, then sucked in the employee's right arm as the employee tried to remove the plastic. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery to the arm.
2021-08-10	Marietta	Ok	O7 Energy Co LLC	Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders	Fall, slip, trip
An employee was retrieving a load of water-based drilling mud with a vacuum truck. The employee slipped on the mud, fell, and struck his left side on the mud pump base. He suffered broken ribs on that side.
2021-08-03	Corpus Christi	Tx	Sage Enviro Tech, Ltd.	Multiple trunk locations	Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle
An employee was under a vacuum truck checking a driveshaft installation. The truck rolled over him, crushing his pelvis and breaking ribs.
2021-08-02	Saint Louis	Mo	SENSIENT COLORS, LLC	Multiple body parts	Contact with hot objects or substances
An employee had cleaned a vacuum belt dryer feed tank with steam-heated water, which he then drained out of the tank through the outlet valve at the bottom. When he disconnected the nitrogen supply line on the upper part of the tank, hot water sprayed from the flange for that line and struck the employee. He suffered second-degree burns to his neck, chest, back, legs, and arms, covering about 30 percent of his body. He was hospitalized.
2021-06-30	Hershey	Pa	Hershey Company Reese Plant	Fingertip(s)	Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
An employee had been changing out a vacuum head. The employee was sweeping away waste candy when their right index finger was caught between a mold and a guide bar resulting in a fingertip amputation.
2021-05-25	Albion	Ne	JSMM Farms Partnership	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was using grain vacuum to clean up bad grain at the bottom of a corn grinder. The vacuum became clogged and as the employee tried to unclog it, the auger blades amputated the top of their right index and middle fingers.
2021-05-17	Hazleton	Pa	Bellemarque LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was fixing a vacuum roll on a machine. The employee's left index finger was crushed between the vacuum roll and the table. The finger was amputated.
2021-05-13	Big Lake	Tx	BP Surface Solutions, LLC	Multiple body parts	Explosion
A five-man crew had been subcontracted by Laredo Petroleum to replace the fire tubes on a heater treater and clean the inside of the tank. Three employees with Dorado Construction Group were contracted as a roustabout crew to clean the tank and replace the fire tubes, one employee of Mulholland Energy Services was contracted to operate the vacuum truck and remove the sludge from the tank, and one employee of Permian Service Co., LLC was hired to operate a hot oil truck to provide water to the r
2021-04-12	Amelia	La	Superior Labor Finders Inc	Arm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee's arm was sucked into the hose of a sand vacuum. The employee suffered bruising and abrasions and was hospitalized, requiring shots and IV treatment.
2021-03-16	Dakota	Il	BERNER FOOD & BEVERAGE, LLC	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was troubleshooting a vacuum pump connected to a drum containing cream filling. The employee shut off the vacuum pump, disassembled the pump, turned the pump back on, and was trying to remove thick cream around the edge when the pump suction cycled. The employee's left thumb was caught between the base ring and the inside of the pump ferrule housing, and was amputated at the first knuckle from the tip.
2021-03-12	Linden	Nj	Evergreen North America, LLC	Multiple body parts	Contact with hot objects or substances
At about 3:30 p.m. on March 12, 2021, employees were loading hot water condensate from a utilities unit into a vacuum truck. When the truck was nearly full, the water supply was shut off. As an employee was disconnecting the hoses for the water, he was sprayed with residual pressurized water from a 6-inch coupling he was disconnecting at the truck. He suffered second-degree burns to both forearms and the left side of the face and neck.
2021-03-07	Waxahachie	Tx	Kirkland's	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
An employee was vacuuming the floor and tripped over the hose and fell to the floor, possibly breaking her hip.
2021-03-03	Robinson	Il	Hydrochem LLC DBA HydroChemPSC	Abdomen, except internal location of diseases or disorders	Nonclassifiable
An employee was attaching a 90-degree elbow to the back of a vacuum truck when they were caught between the 90-degree elbow and a roll-off box, resulting in abdominal injuries.
2021-02-21	Houston	Tx	Alcon	Multiple body parts	Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet
An employee was on a 3-4 ft. platform ladder adjusting a vacuum hose in a resin super sack. The platform ladder fell over and the employee fell to the concrete floor, sustaining injuries to the back and leg.
2021-01-07	Tavares	Fl	Ciraco Underground, Inc.	Leg(s)	Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet
Employees had just finished a vacuum test on a sewer manhole. They removed the vacuum test lid from the manhole and were moving to place it into the back of a truck when one of the employees fell into the manhole, landing 13 feet below and suffering a broken left leg.
2020-10-19	Jacksonville	Fl	Advanced Marine Preservation, LLC.	Arm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
While operating an industrial vacuum, an employee's arm was sucked into the vacuum's hose. The employee sustained a circulatory injury to his right arm. He was hospitalized with arm swelling and underwent surgery.
2020-10-14	Stafford	Tx	Fiserv	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was clearing a clog in a paper shredding vacuum. The shredding blade moved and cut the employee's right middle finger, causing a partial amputation.
2020-09-18	Harvey Cedars	Nj	Blue Spruce Management	Arm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was vacuuming sand from a residential crawl space when the vacuum caught the employee's left arm causing a hematoma.
2020-09-15	Saint Louis	Mo	AXENS NORTH AMERICA	Multiple body parts	Vehicle or machinery fire
An employee was transferring raw material into a product hopper via a vacuum transfer system. During the bag change process, a flash fire occurred and burned the employee's forearms and face.
2020-09-14	Fort Lauderdale	Fl	CLIFF BERRY, INC.	Ankle(s)	Struck by swinging part of powered vehicle
An employee was replacing filters on top of a vacuum truck. The truck's 400-pound hatch closed on the employee, causing a laceration to the right hand, bruising above the left knee, and a dislocation at the right ankle.
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.
2020-08-30	Albany	Ga	Coats & Clark, Inc.	Fingertip(s)	Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment
An employee was pulling film out of the can that has a vacuum on top that pulls the waste film off of the line. The fan blades lacerated two fingers on the employee's left hand. A fingertip was surgically amputated.
2020-08-28	Kenosha	Wi	Herbo International	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was using a hand vacuum to clean up tea powder around a machine. Her cleaning rag fell off the side of the machine into a coned-shape opening where bags of material were being cut. She tried grabbing her rag with her left hand, but the rag was caught and pulled by the machine. As she tried pulling the rag out, her left index fingertip was cut by the machine blades.
2020-06-30	Kansas City	Kansas	Reddi Services, Inc	Ankle(s)	Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue
An employee was removing lime from an outdoor pit by manipulating a 6" diameter hose from a vacuum truck. The pit was estimated to be approximately 8' to 10' x 4' x 7' deep. The employee was wearing a protective garment, goggles, and a cartridge respirator. The employee sustained second degree chemical burns from the lime to the neck, abdomen, both upper both arms, both thighs, and both ankles, as well as third degree burns on one ankle.
2020-06-17	Covington	Georgia	Nisshinbo Automotive Manufacturing Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment
An employee was changing the trash bag on a shim vacuum when he attempted to check the vacuum impeller for a clog. The moving impeller blades then amputated his right ring fingertip and 1 inch from his right index fingertip. The vacuum was energized at the time of the incident.
2020-06-04	Winnetka	Illinois	Walgreens Co.	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
An employee tripped over a vacuum cord and fell, suffering a broken hip.
2020-05-20	Murrayville	Georgia	Fieldale Farms Corporation - Murrayville Plant	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment
An employee was working on a vacuum pipe when a metal plate inside the pipe moved and crushed his right thumb. The thumb was partially amputated at the bottom of the nailbed.
2020-05-10	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	Century Fence Company	Face	Fall onto or against object on same level, n.e.c.
An employee was kneeling down prepping towable vacuum equipment to connect to grooving equipment. When he stood up, he lost his balance, fell forward, and struck the right side of his face on the hitch of the grooving equipment. He was hospitalized with a face injury.
2020-04-30	Westlake	Louisiana	Brock Services	Arm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was operating an industrial vacuum machine when his right arm was pulled into the end of the hose while he was reaching down to pick it up. He experienced arm swelling that required hospitalization.
2020-04-17	Wilmington	Delaware	Clearsite Industrial	Back, including spine, spinal cord	Struck by falling object or equipment, n.e.c.
An employee was cleaning mud out of a concrete footing with a hydroexcavator when the insert from the excavator's rubber vacuum hose sheared off, severing the connection with the dig tubes and causing the dig tubes to fall and strike the employee. The employee was hospitalized with a compression fracture to the back.
2020-03-20	Austin	Texas	Pinnergy, Ltd.	Multiple body parts	Caught between rolling powered vehicle and other object
A vacuum truck driver was loading his truck with salt water from a tank battery. The truck rolled backward and pinned him to a firewall, severely injuring his right leg and abdomen. He was hospitalized.
2020-03-16	Bronx	New York	Oneteam Restoration Inc	Shoulder(s) and back	Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet
While moving a dust vacuum an employee tripped over the vacuum's cord and fell 3.5 feet. The employee sustained pain in their back and shoulder.
2020-03-04	Boston	Massachusett	Bay Cove Human Services, Inc	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment
On March 4, 2020, an employee was using a table saw when he noticed that the dust collecting vacuum appeared to be clogged. He was reaching to tap the hose/vacuum when his hand hit the moving blade, severely lacerating two fingers.
2020-02-28	Groton	Connecticut	ELECTRIC BOAT	BODY SYSTEMS	Direct exposure to electricity
An employee was shocked by an industrial vacuum cleaner while using it to vacuum blasting grit. The employee was hospitalized.
2020-02-28	Niles	Ohio	Arconic Titanium-Engineered	Fingertip(s)	Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part
An employee was moving a 550-pound titanium slab to another location on the plant floor using a vacuum attached to a crane. She then went to mark the slab when the vacuum failed and the slab fell, pinning her right hand between the slab and the floor. This resulted in a fracture to the right middle finger and amputation of the right index fingertip.
2020-02-24	Odem	Texas	Pumpco Inc.	Knee(s)	Other fall to lower level
While pumping fluid out of a pit into a vacuum truck, an employee slipped from the operator's platform and hit his knee on the ground. The employee suffered a knee injury that required surgery.
2020-02-12	Weimar	Texas	J Bar B Foods	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment
An employee had just finished working on a fan motor. When the fan was turned on to verify the direction of its rotation, the vacuum of the fan pulled the tip of the employee's right index finger into the spinning blade, causing it to be severely lacerated from the middle of the nail to the end of the finger.
2020-01-27	Ocoee	Florida	NDG Reconditioning, LLC	Thigh(s)	Caught between rolling powered vehicle and other object
An employee was vacuuming the trunk of a vehicle when another vehicle rolled toward the employee and pinned the employee between the two vehicles. He employee was hospitalized with a fractured right femur.
2020-01-16	Koshkonong	Missouri	BYO OPERATIONS, LLC	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was trying to clear debris from a grinder machine. His left hand was holding the vacuum hose as the plastic bag was about to be sucked into the machine. As he was trying to move it, his fingers slipped through the bars and the grinder paddles amputated three fingertips.
2020-01-15	Warrensville Heights	Ohio	Heinen's Inc.	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was clearing a jam on a vacuum packaging line. While threading film through the machine, her left hand was pulled into the machine. The employee's index, middle, and ring fingertips were amputated.
2020-01-14	Bridgeview	Illinois	Pepsico, INC.	Forearm(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was vacuuming the framework around a belt conveyor when the vacuum attachment and employee's arm were pulled into the conveyor. The employee suffered fractures to the right radius and ulna.
2020-01-09	Lamesa	Texas	Advanced Mustang Energy Services LP	Multiple body parts	Struck by dislodged flying object, particle
The injured employee parked the vacuum truck on the SW end of the pulling unit. Another employee used the winch line on the pulling unit to grab a pipe. He wrapped the winch line around the vacuum truck's bumper tow pin and back up around the pipe to just below half-way up the pipe. The pipe began to bow in the middle. The pipe gave way and hit the injured employee on the left side, stomach, and back knocking the employee to the ground.
2020-01-05	Middletown	Ohio	PAC Worldwide Corporation	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was adjusting a film roller in a vacuum forming machine. The employee was pulled into the machine, and all four fingers and part of the thumb on the employee's left hand were amputated.
2019-08-29	Dover	Delaware	Kraft Heinz Foods Company	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was using an industrial size dust collector (vacuum) to clear out a packaging machine. The employee's hand became caught in a turning valve roll in the packaging machine, resulting in the amputation of the right index and middle fingertips. The machine was running at the time of the incident.
2019-08-28	Atchison	Kansas	MGP INGREDIENTS, INC.	Scalp	Fall onto or against object on same level, n.e.c.
An employee was preparing to clean up grain from the outside of a grain bin using a grain vacuum. When the vacuum was started, it sucked on to the grain door. It then released suddenly as the employee pulled it off; the employee fell backwards and hit his head and back on a drag conveyor. He suffered a contusion to the back of the head.
2019-08-14	Hutsonville	Illinois	Annapolis Grain Co.	Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders	Engulfment in other collapsing material
On August 14, 2019, a temporary employee was cleaning out a grain bin with a vacuum system. The employee was engulfed in the grain (which was about 5 feet deep) up to about chest height. He was hospitalized, suffering from breathing issues.
2019-08-01	Maria Stein	Ohio	Moeller Trucking, Inc.	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
An employee was pumping raw milk. As he changed or shut a valve, his right fourth finger was sucked into a vacuum hose. The fingertip was amputated.
2019-07-20	Paul	Idaho	Amalgamated Sugar Co	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was repairing the belt on a vacuum pump when it started and rotated, causing the amputation of the employee's right ring finger.
2019-07-11	Hauppauge	New York	Contract Pharmacal Corp	BODY SYSTEMS	Direct exposure to electricity, 220 volts or less
An employee sustained a possible electrical shock while vacuuming.
2019-07-09	Yardley	Pennsylvania	Trumbull Corporation	Hand(s)	Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part
An employee was spreading a gasket for sound wall installation. The vacuum lifter released and dropped the barrier, which crushed his right hand.
2019-06-28	Meadville	Pennsylvania	Environmental Products & Services of Vermont, Inc.	Toes(s), toenail(s)	Struck by discharged object or substance
Employees were cleaning and removing sludge from a pit. A vacuum truck was vacuuming the sludge out of the pit. An employee was using a pressure washer to help make the sludge more flowable. Another employee was holding the vacuum hose to evacuate the sludge when his foot became stuck in the sludge. The employee operating the pressure washer used it around the other employee's stuck foot in an attempt to free it. The water from the pressure washer penetrated through the top of the employee's bo
2019-06-19	Austin	Texas	ATX Environmental Solutions	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was cleaning a 3-way valve (ball type), using a 10-inch screwdriver to remove process powder. A vacuum hose was attached to the other end of the 3-way valve to suck out the powder removed by the screwdriver. While he was cleaning, the screwdriver became stuck inside the valve. After several attempts to remove the screwdriver from the valve, the employee then placed his hand on the side of the valve to generate force to remove the screwdriver. Once the screwdriver was freed from the v
2019-06-07	Cartwright	North Dakota	James Oil Well Service, Inc.	Heel(s)	Struck by dislodged flying object, particle
An employee was helping a vacuum truck operator during pigging operations when a fitting broke, allowing the vacuum hose to whip and strike the employee's heel. The employee suffered a left heel contusion.
2019-04-23	Fostoria	Ohio	Treves Inc.	Multiple body parts	Contact with hot objects or substances
A maintenance employee was filling oil into a vacuum pump. He opened the reservoir and was burned on his shoulder and abdomen by the hot oil. The machine was running at the time of the incident.
2019-04-18	Duryea	Pennsylvania	Rose Metal Systems, Inc.	Thigh(s)	Struck by falling object or equipment, n.e.c.
An employee was helping to remove a large, damaged 30-foot-high by 4-foot-wide insulated metal building panel from a structure using a mobile telehandler equipped with a vacuum attachment. The telehandler unit retracted the loosened panel from the structure and set it on the ground with its small dimension (4 feet) on the ground. At this point, the panel was standing 30 feet straight into the air when it detached quickly from the vacuum and fell on the injured employee, breaking his right femur.
2019-04-17	Portsmouth	Virginia	AMP United, LLC	BODY SYSTEMS	Exposure to environmental heat
An employee was hospitalized for severe back spasms, heat stress, and dehydration after vacuuming up blast media on an aircraft carrier.
2019-04-15	Colorado Springs	Colorado	Aspen Pointe	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
While vacuuming a floor, an employee got tangled in the cord and fell sustaining a broken hip.
2019-04-15	La Porte	Texas	Cat-Spec, Ltd	Thigh(s)	Struck by object or equipment rolling freely
An employee was vacuuming catalyst inside a confined space. A piece of the catalyst rolled down from the pile and struck his leg, breaking the femur. He was hospitalized.
2019-03-27	Lock Haven	Pennsylvania	Harger Utility Contractors, Inc.	Lower leg(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
An employee was using a vacuum to suction sand out from the bottom of an air filter bed used to filter fiberglass during paper production. The employee stepped down from a plywood plank being used as a temporary work platform; the employee's foot got caught between two dividers in the filter bed, causing the employee to fall. The employee suffered a torn anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
2019-03-20	Seffner	Florida	Cast-Crete USA, LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment
An employee was cutting wood with a table saw when a part on the vacuum on the top of the saw came off and hit the employee. As he reached to grab the part his left thumb was lacerated.
2019-03-18	Shelocta	Pennsylvania	GAP Pollution and Environmental Control Inc.	Brain	Struck bump, hole, rough terrain on driving surface, nonroadway
An employee was a passenger in a vacuum truck, which was traveling on a dump road at a client's site. The truck hit a washout and leaned to one side; the employee was bounced around in the cab and suffered a possible concussion. He was hospitalized.
2019-02-28	Mosinee	Wisconsin	G3 Industries Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was operating a lathe with a vacuum ejector. The part being ejected got caught in the unloader tube; as the employee was removing it, the employee's left index finger was caught between the ejector tube and the next part. The finger was amputated.
2019-02-06	Paulsboro	New Jersey	Paulsboro Refining Company LLC	Leg(s)	Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue
An employee was preparing a line for maintenance work. The line contained a combination of propane and hydrofluoric acid. He was hooking up the hose to the valve to put a vacuum on the line and pull out the remaining chemicals. Before he could place the hose on the valve, residual chemicals came out and splashed his legs, causing skin burns. He was hospitalized.
2019-02-04	Cut Off	Louisiana	Lady of the Sea General Hospital	Brain	Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet
An employee was working from a mobile scaffold and vacuuming the ceiling in order to prepare it for paint. The employee fell approximately 15-18 feet to the concrete floor and suffered a head injury.
2019-01-22	Charles Town	West Virgini	PNGI Charles Town Gaming LLC	Knee(s) and leg(s)	Trip from stepping into a hole without fall
An employee stepped into an indentation under the carpet while vacuuming and suffered a fractured right tibia and torn right meniscus.
2019-01-15	Columbia	Pennsylvania	SCANTRON	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
An employee was removing paper stuck in a vacuum roller when the employee's left thumb was caught in a pinch point, resulting in an amputation at the mid-nail area (no bone loss).
2019-01-12	La Belle	Missouri	La Belle Dairy, LLC	Ankle(s)	Fall on same level due to slipping
An employee exited the vacuum truck he was driving to close a pen gate at the end of a barn. After closing the gate, he started to walk back to the vacuum truck when he slipped on the snow-covered ground, fracturing his right ankle and damaging the ligament and cartilage.
2018-09-26	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	GDI Services	Hip(s)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
An employee tripped over a vacuum cleaner cord and broke her hip on the floor.
2018-09-25	Alvin	Texas	DC Vacuum, Inc.	Multiple body parts	Ignition of vapors, gases, or liquids
An employee was bleeding down the pressure from a well to a vacuum truck when the gas fumes ignited, causing the employee to receive second degree burns to his hands and face.
2018-09-22	Grand Island	Nebraska	JBS USA LLC	Fingertip(s)	Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
An employee was emptying a spinal vacuum tank. The employee's right middle finger was caught in a valve; the tip was amputated.
2018-09-19	Dayton	Ohio	Superior Environmental Solutions, Inc.	Hand(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
While cleaning, an employee picked up a vacuum hose to move it. The employee's hand was sucked into the hose, suffering swelling and bruising.
2018-09-15	Roxana	Illinois	MILLER INDUSTRIAL SERVICE TEAMS, INC.	BODY SYSTEMS	Inhalation of harmful substance-single episode
An employee was vacuuming and washing a confined space hole when he suffered from carbon monoxide overexposure, requiring hospitalization.
2018-09-09	New Florence	Pennsylvania	NAES Power Contractors	Knee(s) and leg(s)	Contact with hot objects or substances
An employee was vacuuming fly ash on the top section of a boiler when he stepped into an unusually deep section of fly ash, sinking into it up to his knees. The fly ash, which was still hot, went under his pants and into his shoes, causing second degree burns to both legs from the knees down.
2018-09-05	Stanton	Texas	Martin County Environmental, LLC	Nonclassifiable	Explosion
An employee was burned in an explosion that happened while a vacuum trailer was being power-washed.
2018-08-30	Kearny	New Jersey	Water Main Cleaning Company	Face	Struck by swinging part of powered vehicle
An employee was cleaning out a catch basin when he was struck in the face by a boom vacuum, breaking bones on the left side of his face.
2018-08-30	Van Wert	Ohio	Braun Industries, Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery, n.e.c.
An employee was installing new spoil boards on a router. The vacuum actuated, and the employee's finger was crushed between two boards. He suffered a partial finger amputation with no bone loss.
2018-08-24	Mcadoo	Pennsylvania	Altadis USA, Inc.	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
On August 24, 2018, at around 1:57 p.m., an employee was cleaning a line using a central vacuum system. She went to the discharge side of the system (where scrap barrels get changed out manually) and was reaching through the collar when she made contact with the rotary valve. The moving valve amputated her right index and middle fingertips.
2018-07-30	Saint Joseph	Missouri	DUPONT*	Abdomen, except internal location of diseases or disorders	Overexertion in lifting-multiple episodes
An employee was cutting open 50 lbs. bags of solids and emptying them into a screener with the use of a lift table and vacuum lift. The employee was hospitalized that evening for surgery to correct a hernia.
2018-07-30	Honolulu	Hawaii	BAE Systems Hawaii Shipyards Inc.	BODY SYSTEMS	Direct exposure to electricity, 220 volts or less
An employee was shocked while using a vacuum cleaner. He was hospitalized.
2018-07-30	Plaquemine	Louisiana	Mac-Nett Industries, Inc.	Hand(s)	Struck by discharged object or substance
An employee was using a 3,000-psi hose attached to the side of his vacuum truck. Water from the hose struck and lacerated his hand.
2018-07-23	Norcross	Georgia	Novalex, Inc.	Fingertip(s)	Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
An employee was threading paper on an inner folding machine's rollers. At the same time, another employee began turning the manual hand wheel to turn the rollers. The injured employee struggled to position the paper and reached around the vacuum drum to help thread the paper when his hand contacted the blade, resulting in a fingertip amputation. The blade was guarded at the time of the incident.
2018-07-22	New York	New York	Millennium Hotels and Resorts	BODY SYSTEMS	Direct exposure to electricity, 220 volts or less
An employee was shocked while plugging in a vacuum cleaner, suffering an injury to the right hand.
2018-07-22	Stuttgart	Arkansas	DELTA PLASTICS OF THE SOUTH, LLC	BODY SYSTEMS	Indirect exposure to electricity
An employee was checking the vacuum on a machine when he noticed that the water level was getting high in the slurry. He discovered that pellets were clumping together; when he tried to stir the water, he received an electrical shock caused by a wire that had shorted out. He suffered head and neck pain and was hospitalized.
2018-07-11	Thomasville	Pennsylvania	KBS Incorporated	Brain	Other fall to lower level
An employee was vacuuming the cab of his truck, missed all of the steps while exiting the truck and fell. The employee sustained a brain bleed.
2018-07-02	Haines City	Florida	Enterprise Leasing Company of Florida, LLC	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck by swinging part of powered vehicle
An employee was pulling a car into a bucket wash bay to wash and vacuum it for rental. The car began to roll backward, and the employee's hand was caught in the door. He suffered an amputation of the middle and index fingers of his left hand.
2018-06-27	Big Prairie	Ohio	Mansfield Plumbing Products	Lower leg(s)	Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet
An employee fell off the second step of a step ladder while installing a vacuum hose on a plastic injection mold machine. The employee fractured the right leg below the knee, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
2018-06-10	Gadsden	Alabama	KOCH FOODS OF GADSDEN	Fingertip(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning
While hand-scrubbing the chute on a vacuum system, the employee's hand entered the vacuum pump chute and his finger was caught on angle iron. When he pulled his finger back, the fingertip was amputated.
2018-06-07	Dallas	Texas	C & C Directional Boring, LLC	BODY SYSTEMS	Exposure to environmental heat
At the job site the injured employee used a vacuum to extract water from one pit, backfilled three small pits, helped coworkers fill two other pits, and then performed sweeping on the road and sidewalk before leaving. Afterwards, the employee began experiencing symptoms of heat-related illness, including vomiting. The employee was hospitalized for heat-related illness.
2018-06-04	Miami	Florida	PRITCHARD INDUSTRIES (SOUTHEAST), INC.	Shoulder(s), including clavicle(s), scapula(e)	Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
An employee was vacuuming, got tangled in the electrical cord and fell to the floor. The employee landed on his left shoulder and suffered a dislocation. The employee was hospitalized for surgery.
2018-05-14	Wethersfield	Connecticut	M & G Landscaping	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Struck against moving part of machinery or equipment
On May 14, 2018, an employee was attempting to clear material from a mower vacuum when the blades amputated his thumb and several fingers on his left hand. The mower blades were running at the time of the incident.
2018-05-11	Dayton	Ohio	Hueston Industries, Inc.	Finger(s), fingernail(s)	Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation
On May 11, 2018, an employee was helping another employee load panels onto a CNC router. He had just placed two panels on the vacuum work station when his right hand entered the running tool cutter, amputating his middle and ring fingers. The tool cutter was guarded at the time.
2018-05-02	Abilene	Texas	Walmart Stores	Hip(s)	Fall on same level, n.e.c.
An employee lost balance while operating a vacuum cleaner and fell on her left side, breaking her left hip and requiring hospitalization.