How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 27,837 severe cases involving amputations and avulsions over the last decade. Finger injuries are the most frequent outcome, accounting for 93% of these reports, which often leaves you struggling with basic daily tasks and long-term dexterity issues.
These injuries carry life-altering consequences. You may face permanent functional limitations, chronic pain, and a reduced ability to perform the manual tasks required for your previous roles, directly impacting your future earning capacity.
Lost a digit or limb? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Check My BenefitsWhat causes Amputations and Crush Injuries
Most of these injuries occur when you are caught or entangled in running powered equipment, which accounts for 42% of all reported incidents. This typically happens when safety guards are missing, lockout-tagout procedures are ignored, or machinery is operated during maintenance without proper isolation of energy sources.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 11,224 |
| 2 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 3,896 |
| 3 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 2,130 |
| 4 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 1,762 |
| 5 | Struck by falling object | 1,594 |
| 6 | Injured by object handled by person | 1,340 |
| 7 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 1,002 |
| 8 | Struck by suspended or swinging object | 719 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 55% of all severe amputation and crush cases, largely due to the widespread use of high-speed processing and forming machinery. You are frequently exposed to unguarded conveyors, stamping presses, and industrial saws that require strict adherence to machine guarding standards to prevent catastrophic contact.
Real cases like yours
These incident reports reveal a recurring pattern of equipment failures during routine maintenance, cleaning, or training sessions. You are often injured when machinery is unexpectedly activated or when kinetic energy is released from jammed components during clearing attempts. An attorney can help you evaluate your specific situation and ensure you receive the full benefits owed to you.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "Employees were removing a damaged uninterrupted power supply (UPS) from an audio/visual rack system. The injured employee was pulling from the front. Two other employees were pushing from the rear when they lost their grip. The UPS fell, pinching the injured employee s middle finger against the floor. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated without bone loss." | |
| 2025 | CO | Agriculture | "Two employees were operating a wood splitter. An employee was loading wood into the splitter when the tip of his right thumb was crushed between the rear end of the wood and the back metal plate of the wood splitter. The employee's thumb tip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was performing routine maintenance on an air valve when their right ring finger became caught in the valve. The employee sustained an amputation to the fingertip. " | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was in training to learn how to change steel dies on a culvert machine. The employee was on top of the machine when the handheld control was activated, engaging the machine's auto-run function. The employee's feet were dragged into the roller dies, resulting in a left ankle fracture, a laceration between the ankle and knee, and amputation of the the big toe and second toe on the right foot." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating equipment to cut a copper pipe (20 feet in length, 2 inches in diameter) when a jam occurred between the revolver assembly and the pinch roller assembly. He assessed the jam and determined that the copper pipe needed to be cut using a battery-powered reciprocating saw. He made two cuts on the pipe with the reciprocating saw. When the second cut was finished, kinetic energy stored within the pipe due to the jam released, and the pipe struck the employee's left hand. The employee's index fingertip was partially amputated before the first knuckle without bone loss." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "A subcontracted engineer was advising maintenance how to make a modification to the embossing roll system on a new line. Maintenance was bringing the motor and gearbox down with a crane. The load shifted when it was a few inches from the ground. The engineer went to catch/maneuver the gearbox and the fingers on his left hand were crushed between the I-beam base of the gearbox and the concrete floor. A finger was amputated." | |
| 2025 | TX | Other Services | "A driver was doing a pre-trip inspection on a tractor when their fingers got caught in a fan belt and the tops of two fingers were amputated." | |
| 2025 | MO | Manufacturing | "An employee was working to move an oscillating fan when the guard fell off. His left hand contacted the metal fan blades, resulting in cuts to the index, middle, and ring fingers, and amputation of the little finger above the first knuckle." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "On July 30, 2025, an employee was cutting wood with a radial arm saw when the saw amputated their left middle and ring fingers." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was replacing a pop-up roller between the drop plate table and the far stacker conveyor after clearing a jam. The pop-up roller became hung up on the frame of the roller flight conveyor. The employee s hand then became caught between the pop-up roller and the belts on the drop table. The employee sustained an avulsion to their right hand excluding the fingers. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.