Entanglement in Objects at Work — Injury Statistics and Claims Information
Entanglement in Objects at Work
Reported entanglement incidents are decreasing significantly
OSHA recorded 194 severe incidents involving entanglement in non-running objects over the last decade. These events frequently result in life-altering trauma, with amputations, avulsions, and enucleations accounting for 71.0% of all reported cases.
The physical impact of these incidents is concentrated on the extremities, specifically the fingers, which are involved in 74.2% of all cases. Workers often face permanent disability due to the crushing and tearing forces exerted by tensioned lines and cables.
What's Driving the Trend?
The frequency of these incidents has dropped by 93.6% over the past ten years, reflecting a shift in how employers manage tensioned materials. Despite this decline, the persistent involvement of ropes, ties, and chains indicates that basic material handling remains a high-risk activity.
Manufacturing and construction industries remain the primary environments for these injuries, representing 25.8% and 23.2% of cases respectively. These sectors rely heavily on manual handling of heavy-duty rigging, where a momentary lapse in tension control can lead to immediate injury.
Injury Types from Entanglement in Objects
Top causes based on OSHA incident reports
Entanglement occurs when a worker's hand or glove is pulled into a pinch point created by tensioned lines, such as winch cables, rebar-pulling systems, or roll-up door mechanisms. These incidents often happen when a worker is manually guiding a cable or clearing a jam, only for the object to suddenly shift or tighten. The danger is highest when working with ropes, ties, and chains that are under load, as these materials can trap fingers against sheaves, pulleys, or structural barriers in a fraction of a second.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 137 |
| 2 | Fractures | 40 |
| 3 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 5 |
| 4 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 3 |
| 5 | Other or multiple types of burns | 2 |
| 6 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 1 |
| 7 | Dislocations | 1 |
| 8 | Soreness, swelling, inflammation | 1 |
Why This Matters for Your Case
Employers are legally required to identify and guard against these hazards under 29 CFR 1910.212, which mandates that machine guarding must protect operators from hazards such as those created by point of operation or rotating parts. Furthermore, 29 CFR 1910.184 requires that rigging equipment and slings be inspected and used in a manner that prevents accidental entanglement. Failure to provide adequate training on the risks of tensioned lines or to implement lockout-tagout procedures during maintenance often constitutes a violation of these safety standards.
Industries with Most Entanglement in Objects
Where these injuries occur most frequently
Manufacturing and construction account for nearly half of all entanglement incidents, with 25.8% and 23.2% of cases respectively. In these environments, the constant use of heavy machinery, cranes, and tensioned cables creates a high-pressure workspace where workers are frequently in close proximity to moving or tightening components.
High-Risk Industries and Your Rights
In these high-risk industries, employers must adhere to 29 CFR 1910.147, the standard for the control of hazardous energy, to ensure that equipment is de-energized before maintenance. Additionally, 29 CFR 1926.251 requires that rigging equipment be used safely and inspected for defects that could lead to snagging or entanglement. Employers are also obligated under the General Duty Clause to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Real Incident Reports
From actual OSHA investigation files
The incident reports reveal a consistent pattern where workers are injured while manually adjusting or clearing tensioned lines during routine operations. Common failures include the lack of distance between the worker and the cable, the use of gloves that can easily snag on ropes or chains, and the absence of clear communication when a motor or winch is activated. These narratives demonstrate that even minor tasks, such as opening a door or guiding a cable, can lead to catastrophic finger amputations when safety protocols are bypassed.
"Three employees were pulling tension cable (similar to rebar) through the walls of a condo using a motor system. Two employees were needed to hold the cable while the third employee drilled the mounting locations. When the third employee activated the drill, the cables twisted. They caught the right index finger of one of the other two employees, amputating his fingertip."
"An employee was in an elevator pit working on the hoisting cables and compensator sheave. He moved the cables back onto the sheave groves. One of the cables spun, twisted out of the grove, grabbed his glove, and pulled his hand into the sheave. The tip of his right thumb was caught under a cable and was amputated approximately at the knuckle just below the nail."
"An employee was opening a roll-up door when his glove was caught in the door's rope, resulting in a partial amputation to his right index fingertip."
"An employee was lowering an above-head gate with chains while moving a cow into a lane. Their fingers got tangled in the chain as the gate dropped, resulting in a lacerated thumb and crushed index and middle fingers."
"A crew was removing old distribution poles. As they were removing the bottom section of a pole post, a winch line became tangled with slack. Two of the employees climbed on top of the crew's truck to fix the issue. The load then pulled the winch line tight around the finger of one of the employees, causing the amputation of their fingertip."
"An employee attempted to open an engine compartment door on a drill rig to start the master cylinder before transporting the rig via a lowboy trailer. In order to access the compartment door he had to stand on the bottom track. As he pulled the latch, he lost his balance and stepped backward. His right hand fingers were caught in the handle, resulting in fractures of his index and ring fingers and a partial amputation of the middle fingertip."
"An employee was applying tape to the carpet and roller on the A-frame roller when they stepped under a roller and were caught in the roll and found wrapped up inside. The employee sustained a fractured leg. "
"An employee was using a pulley system to pull over a tree. He was pulling on a rope that had a snatch block attached when the leverage gave way. His left glove got caught in the pulley and caused his fingers to get caught. The pulley amputated his left ring and little fingers to the first knuckle."
"On July 8, 2024, an employee was helping place rebar during a rigging process. His hand was caught in a rebar cage and he fell. His right hand was then trapped and injured, becoming swollen."
"An employee was maneuvering a telecommunications cable across a road. A truck, driving toward him, hit the line. This caused it to tighten around his left thumb and amputated it. He was hospitalized."
Common Questions About Entanglement in Objects Claims
The ClaimsBoost Research Team aggregates official government data to help workers understand workplace injury trends and their coverage options.
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