How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 27,837 severe cases of amputations and avulsions over the last decade. Finger injuries account for 93 percent of these incidents, often resulting in permanent loss of dexterity and significant functional impairment that impacts your ability to perform daily tasks.
These injuries are life-altering events that frequently lead to long-term disability and chronic pain. Beyond the immediate physical trauma, you may face reduced earning capacity and the psychological burden of adjusting to permanent physical limitations.
What causes Amputations and Crush Injuries
Most of these injuries occur when you are caught or entangled in running powered equipment, which accounts for 42 percent of all reported cases. This often happens during normal operation when safety guards are missing, bypassed, or improperly adjusted, leaving your hands and fingers vulnerable to moving parts.
| 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 percent of all reported amputation cases, largely due to the high density of heavy machinery and automated production lines. You are frequently exposed to conveyors, stamping presses, and extruding machinery that require strict adherence to lockout and tagout procedures to prevent accidental engagement.
Real cases like yours
Recurring patterns in these reports highlight failures in machine guarding, inadequate training on auto-run functions, and the release of stored kinetic energy during maintenance. If your injury occurred while operating equipment or during a routine maintenance task, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your incident to determine if employer negligence played a role.
| 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.
Frequently asked questions
Returning to work depends on the severity of your injury and the physical demands of your specific role. You may require extensive rehabilitation and workplace accommodations to perform your duties safely. An attorney can help you understand your rights regarding vocational rehabilitation and potential permanent disability benefits.
Workers' Compensation typically provides benefits for medical expenses and a portion of your lost wages during recovery. Because amputations often result in permanent impairment, you may also be eligible for scheduled loss awards based on the specific body part affected. An attorney can help you evaluate your claim to ensure you receive the full compensation allowed by law.
Safety guards are designed to prevent contact with hazardous moving parts, and their failure often indicates a violation of OSHA standards. Your employer is responsible for ensuring that all machinery is properly guarded and that safety protocols are strictly enforced. An attorney can help you investigate whether your employer failed to maintain these critical protections.
A valid claim often hinges on whether your employer failed to provide a safe working environment or ignored established safety regulations. If your injury was caused by defective equipment, lack of training, or bypassed safety features, you may have grounds for a claim beyond standard Workers' Compensation. An attorney can help you review the facts of your case to identify all available legal pathways.