Amputations are some of the most traumatic and life-altering work accident injuries that can be suffered by an industrial worker here in Illinois or Indiana. Of course, the worker victim and their loved ones are blessed that in many instances the accident has not resulted in death (although some amputations can be fatal). However, industrial accident amputation injuries are very serious and life-changing in so many ways. And amputations are recognized to be very likely in some specific industrial situations.
Unfortunately, recent research studies confirm that amputations remain one of the most common types of catastrophic injuries suffered by industrial workers. The risk of amputation is particularly significant for anyone working in the manufacturing industry.
Read, New 6-Year Serious Injury & Fatality Report for Five Industries; and Work Accidents on the Job: OSHA’s New Seven-Year Lookback Report.
Amputation Dangers in Manufacturing Industry: Continuing OSHA Focus
Recognizing that our nation’s factory workers are at an especially high risk of amputation injuries in a work accident, OSHA has a dedicated National Emphasis Program (NEP) to try and help protect workers from amputation hazards in certain manufacturing facilities. This debuted in August 2015 and continued with amendments in December 2019. The 2019 NEP continues, by definition, through 2024 (a five-year plan). From OSHA:
This Instruction provides updated guidance to the OSHA National, Regional, and Area Offices for continued implementation of its NEP to identify and reduce or eliminate amputation hazards in manufacturing industries. OSHA’s enforcement history shows that employees are often injured when machinery or equipment is not properly guarded or maintained. This NEP targets industrial and manufacturing workplaces having machinery and equipment that can potentially cause amputations.
Two Warnings From OSHA
There are two key warnings here. First, from OSHA’s perspective, amputation hazards in our manufacturing facilities are greatest when working on or near industrial machinery or equipment that “…is not properly guarded or maintained.”
Second, a great many manufacturing facilities are seen as particularly dangerous for amputation accidents. These are listed in Appendix B of the latest OSHA Instruction. They include factories involved with various kinds of food processing (e.g., cheese, poultry, bakeries, perishables); working with metals, wood, rubber, plastics, ammunition, steel, furniture, and the manufacturing of campers and recreational vehicles as well as industrial machinery and equipment.
For those of us in Illinois and Indiana, this listing is of particular concern given that there is a December 2022 separate OSHA National Emphasis Program explicitly targeting the food processing industry in Illinois. Read, OSHA Warns of Accident Dangers in Illinois’ Food Processing Industry.
It is also very alarming to consider the number of workers in our part of the country that are employed in factories dedicated to other products on the NEP list. For instance, consider amputation risks in light of the fact that Indiana is the home to the world’s recreational vehicle manufacturing industry, where it is reported that “…[a]t least 60% to 80% of all recreational vehicles made in the entire world are made in Elkhart County.” Read, “Why Are So Many RVs Made in Indiana?” written by J.L. Seto and published by Motor Biscuit on November 23, 2020.
For more, read “Amputations: OSHA’s Ongoing Enforcement,” written by Guy Burdick and published by EHS Daily Advisor on May 30, 2023 and “OSHA revises NEP on amputations in manufacturing,” published by Safety and Health Magazine on December 19, 2019.
What is an Industrial Accident Amputation?
From the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) comes the following explanation of amputations in industrial work accidents:
Amputations are some of the most serious and debilitating workplace injuries. They are widespread and involve a variety of activities and equipment. Amputations occur most often when workers operate unguarded or inadequately safeguarded mechanical power presses, power press brakes, powered and non-powered conveyors, printing presses, roll-forming and roll bending machines, food slicers, meat grinders, meat cutting band saws, drill presses, and milling machines as well as shears, grinders, and slitters. These injuries also happen during materials handling activities and when using forklifts and doors as well as trash compactors and powered and non-powered hand tools. Besides normal operation, the following activities involving stationary machines also expose workers to potential amputation hazards: setting up, threading, preparing, adjusting, cleaning, lubricating, and maintaining machines as well as clearing jams.
Amputations can happen instantaneously on the job as part of the accident event itself. In some cases, the worker may survive a severe work accident only to find that amputation must happen at the hospital as a medical necessity.
Amputations involve the severing of a body part and can result in debilitating physical injuries as well as substantial psychological harm. Prosthetics may be necessary. Psychological counseling to combat depression, despair, and anxiety is vital in many instances. Many amputation victims suffer horrific pain during the injury as well as phantom pain long after the event. Family members and loved ones can experience harm and loss after a worker’s amputation injuries that can be long-lasting as well.
From Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine:
Amputation is the loss or removal of a body part such as a finger, toe, hand, foot, arm or leg. It can be a life changing experience affecting your ability to move, work, interact with others and maintain your independence. Continuing pain, phantom limb phenomena and emotional trauma can complicate recovery.
For details, read Traumatic Amputations in Industrial Accidents.
Manufacturing Plants: Machinery and Equipment Dangers of Amputation
For factory workers and those employed in the manufacturing industry here in Illinois and Indiana, it is important to know that particular machines or pieces of equipment on the job site are known to be particularly risky for amputation accidents. From OSHA:
The following types of mechanical components present amputation hazards:
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- Point of operation – the area of a machine where it performs work on material.
- Power-transmission apparatuses – flywheels, pulleys, belts, chains, couplings, spindles, cams, and gears in addition to connecting rods and other machine components that transmit energy.
- Other moving parts – machine components that move during machine operation such as reciprocating, rotating, and transverse moving parts as well as auxiliary machine parts.
What kinds of mechanical motion are hazardous? All mechanical motion is potentially hazardous. In addition to in-running nip points (“pinch points”) – which occur when two parts move together and at least one moves in a rotary or circular motion that gears, rollers, belt drives, and pulleys generate – the following are the most common types of hazardous mechanical motion:
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- Rotating – circular movement of couplings, cams, clutches, flywheels, and spindles as well as shaft ends and rotating collars that may grip clothing or otherwise force a body part into a dangerous location.
- Reciprocating – back-and-forth or up-and down action that may strike or entrap a worker between a moving part and a fixed object.
- Transversing – movement in a straight, continuous line that may strike or catch a worker in a pinch or shear point created between the moving part and a fixed object.
- Cutting – action generated during sawing, boring, drilling, milling, slicing, and slitting.
- Punching – motion resulting when a machine moves a slide (ram) to stamp or blank metal or other material.
- Shearing – movement of a powered slide or knife during metal trimming or shearing.
- Bending – action occurring when power is applied to a slide to draw or form metal or other materials.
For more: Amputation Injuries from On-the-Job Work Accidents in Indiana or Illinois; and Machine Safety in the Industrial Workplace: Danger of Catastrophic Machinery Accidents.
Manufacturing Amputation Danger: Safety Regulations
A great many federal safety regulations exist to protect workers from amputation injuries on the job, including the manufacturing worksite. These will be implemented in Illinois and Indiana through our OSHA State Plans. For more on our state programs, read Workplace Safety and OSHA Regulations in Indiana and Illinois.
Among federal safety regulations to protect against amputations are:
- 29 CFR Part 1910 Subparts O and P (machinery and machine guarding);
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart I (hand tools and power tools);
- 29 CFR Part 1928 Subpart D;
- 29 CFR Part 1915 Subparts C, H, and J; and
- 29 CFR Part 1917 Subparts B, C, and G.
Of particular interest for factory workers are the following safety laws:
- 29 CFR 1910.147 (Control of Hazardous Energy – lockout/tagout);
- 29 CFR 1910.212 (General Requirements for All Machines – machine guarding);
- 29 CFR 1910.213 (Woodworking Machinery Requirements);
- 29 CFR 1910.217 (Mechanical Power Presses); and
- 29 CFR 1910.219 (Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus).
Amputation Accidents on Manufacturing Worksites in Illinois or Indiana
For anyone working in a factory, plant, or manufacturing facility in our part of the country, there must be special care taken to keep both that worker and their co-workers safe from suffering a catastrophic amputation injury on the job. Employers and their insurance carriers know these dangers exist. They also know the established procedures and protocols needed to protect against an amputation accident.
Sadly, the latest research studies as well as the ongoing OSHA emphasis on enforcement of amputation safety regulations warns us that all too often, employers are failing to meet their duties of care and safety. Manufacturing workplaces remain unacceptably dangerous for amputation injuries.
When a factory worker suffers an amputation because of an on-the-job accident, state and federal law may provide for monetary damages that involve:
- medical care and costs (past and future);
- physical therapy and rehab;
- pain and suffering; and
- psychological care and support for both the manufacturing industrial worker victim and their family members.
Damages may be available not only from the employer but from third parties who failed to meet their duties of care on the job site, such as those with custody, control, or possession of the worksite; designers, manufacturers, suppliers, or service companies for machinery or equipment; and more.
See:
- The Two Main Differences Between Workers Compensation and Personal Injury Claims for Accident Victims in Indiana and Illinois
- Work Accident in Illinois or Indiana: Workers Compensation Claim vs. Personal Injury Damages
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life
- What are Legal Damages After a Work-Related Accident in Indiana or Illinois?
- Premises Liability and Workplace Accidents: Third Party Injury Claims.
Today, the manufacturing industry in Indiana and Illinois is particularly risky for an amputation injury that may happen in the work accident or later in the hospital because of severe bodily injuries caused by that on-the-job event. Safety agencies, government regulators, and those advocating for worker victims all know that too many amputations will continue to happen in our factories and manufacturing facilities until things change with the powers-that-be. Please be careful out there!
