How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,258 severe incidents involving stamping, bending, and shaping machinery over the last decade. The vast majority of these cases result in amputations, which account for 79 percent of all reported injuries from this equipment.
The physical toll is concentrated on your fingers, which are involved in 84 percent of these severe cases. These injuries often lead to permanent disability and require extensive surgical intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when you become caught or entangled in running powered equipment during normal operation. This happens when safety devices like light curtains or physical barriers are bypassed, malfunctioning, or improperly installed. You are frequently injured while loading materials or adjusting parts, as the machine cycles unexpectedly and traps your hands or arms in a pinch point.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 1,037 |
| 2 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 94 |
| 3 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 50 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 14 |
| 5 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 10 |
| 6 | Struck by running powered equipment— n.e.c. | 8 |
| 7 | Struck by running powered equipment— irregular movement, kick back | 7 |
| 8 | Caught or wedged between objects— nonrunning | 7 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 79 percent of all severe injuries involving this machinery. The high volume of production, combined with the constant operation of heavy-duty presses and benders, creates a situation where even a momentary lapse in machine guarding leads to life-altering consequences.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include machines actuating while you are loading materials or clearing a jam. Many reports detail situations where safety guards were either absent or failed to prevent access to the point of operation. If your injury occurred while you were operating or cleaning machinery, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident to determine if employer negligence played a role.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | CT | Construction | "An employee was bending sheet metal on a brake press. The press actuated while he was adjusting a piece of sheet metal, resulting in a crushing injury to the left arm." | |
| 2025 | TX | Administrative Services | "On July 29, 2025, at approximately 8:30 AM, a temporary employee was performing the riveting process at her assigned station on the stamping line. Her left index fingertip became caught in a pinch point of a stamping machine. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "An employee was loading pipe into a flare machine when a part clamp caught her right hand. The hand was lacerated and broken. A light curtain was in place at the time of the incident." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was pushing fabric into a wind-up. The wind-up caught the employee's arm, pulled it forward, and broke the forearm. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was setting up a test bend on metal tubing when the bender machine clamped onto their right index finger. The fingertip was partially amputated." | |
| 2025 | MO | Manufacturing | "An employee was at the brake press when the press was activated, causing the ram to move. Two fingertips on his right hand were crushed between the dies and partially amputated." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was adjusting an air line on a scroll shear when a rotating gear caught his right ring finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was positioning a piece of metal trim for a test bend in a single-fold bend machine. Their right middle fingertip was pinched by a clamp on the machine, resulting in a partial amputation." | |
| 2025 | MS | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a pointer, which reduces the end of copper tubing and allows it to go through a smaller die set to reduce its diameter. It requires two plugs to be set in place to be inserted in the tubing before it can be reduced or pointed. When the machine cycled, the tip of the employee's left thumb was caught by the machine's entry point, severing the tip of the thumb. A partial amputation, which included a small section of bone, was required to repair the injury." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was loading a truss to be finished in a press when their clothing was caught on a plate and pulled into the finish press, causing a broken arm." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.