OSHA investigators arrived in Champaign, IL on Wednesday, June 7th 2017 and began an accident investigation which had occured previously at Plastipak Packaging, Inc.. A 60 year old Machine operator had been injured when the employee crushes left middle finger and later required amput
Accident Date2017-06-02
Accident DegreeHospitalized injury
NarrativeAt 6:20 a.m. on June 2, 2017, an employee was sweeping a work area with various processing equipment. During work, the employee observed product piling up on the bucket conveyor of a trimming machine. A plastic bottle became misaligned and caught in the opening of the trimmer. The employee started working to clear the jammed bottles from the opening with his hands, when his right hand became caught on a bottle. His hand was pulled into the trimmer, which cycled and crushed his hand in between the trimmer's blades. The employee's right middle finger suffered a crushing injury, resulting in its amputation through a surgical procedure at a nearby hospital.