How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 2,797 severe cases involving injuries from objects you handled over the last decade. Amputations account for 48 percent of these incidents, representing the most frequent nature of injury reported.
The severity of these events is reflected in the frequency of finger injuries, which make up 58 percent of all reported cases. These injuries often result in permanent loss of function, requiring extensive medical intervention and long-term rehabilitation for you.
Injured by a hand tool? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Free Benefits ReviewCommon injuries
Injuries typically occur when manual hand tools slip. Cutting handtools account for 50 percent of all reported sources, often involving box cutters, knives, or blades that slip while you operate them. These incidents frequently happen when you are manually guiding materials into place or performing repetitive tasks without mechanical assistance.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 1,340 |
| 2 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 1,073 |
| 3 | Fractures | 180 |
| 4 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 123 |
| 5 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 20 |
| 6 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 10 |
| 7 | Intracranial Injuries | 9 |
| 8 | Bruises, contusions | 7 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all sectors with 30 percent of reported incidents, followed by manufacturing at 28 percent. In these environments, the combination of production demands and the constant use of manual tools creates a risk for lacerations and amputations. Your employer is required to provide proper training and ensure tools are maintained in safe working condition.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you manually guiding materials or operating tools that slip, leading to immediate trauma. Whether it is a finger caught between a rail and a bracket or a laceration from a box cutter, the recurring theme is the reliance on manual force in tasks that often lack mechanical safeguards. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "Three employees were installing a transfer rail in a press. There were two employees holding the rail and the injured employee was at the end of the rail guiding the rail into the bracket. The task was done manually with no mechanical equipment. The employee had their finger at the end of the rail and went to make sure the rail was lined up while the other two employees pushed it into the bracket, causing their finger to become pinched between the rail and bracket. The employee's middle fingertip was amputated. Protective gloves were worn at the time of the incident. " | |
| 2025 | MA | Manufacturing | "An employee was manually lifting a film roll when their right middle fingertip was pinched between the roll and a metal beam, resulting in a fingertip amputation." | |
| 2025 | VA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was manually pulling a container from the aft cargo hold of a wide-body jetliner. Their right little finger got pinned between the container and the edge of the cargo door. The employee's finger was partially amputated." | |
| 2025 | FL | Information | "An employee was cutting boxes using a box cutting tool and lacerated an artery in their wrist. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | TX | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was setting up a banquet hall. While pulling on an air wall/divider their left middle fingertip became caught in the wall and was amputated." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee was stacking totes on a pallet jack when their right little finger got caught between totes and the fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | MS | Manufacturing | "An employee was helping a co-worker move a secondary machine during a machine change-over. He was guiding the machine out of the work area when he started to change directions. The machine's wheel ran over his big toe, resulting in a partial amputation." | |
| 2025 | OH | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was cutting cooked chicken with a kitchen knife when the tip of their left thumb, including the nail, was cut, resulting in an amputation." | |
| 2025 | TX | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was using a 2-pound sledgehammer and a large punch to drive a bearing on a skid steer. The sledgehammer missed the punch and struck the employee's left index finger, resulting in a partial amputation." | |
| 2025 | MO | Education | "On 7/22/2025, an employee was moving some room dividers when their left index finger was caught in one of the dividers. The employee's fingertip was amputated without loss of bone." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.