How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 840 severe cases involving boring, planing, and milling machinery over the last decade. These incidents most frequently result in amputations, which account for 76% of all reported injuries from this equipment.
The severity of these accidents is driven by the nature of the machinery, which often causes permanent damage to your fingers. Because these tools operate at high speeds, even a momentary lapse or equipment malfunction can lead to life-altering injuries.
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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 accounts for 79% of all reported incidents, often happening when your clothing, gloves, or body parts are pulled into rotating spindles, drill bits, or lathe heads.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 657 |
| 2 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 77 |
| 3 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 29 |
| 4 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 27 |
| 5 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 14 |
| 6 | Struck by running powered equipment— n.e.c. | 10 |
| 7 | Struck against stationary object | 4 |
| 8 | Struck by running powered equipment— irregular movement, kick back | 3 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 81% of these severe injuries, as the high-volume use of lathes and milling machines creates constant exposure to rotating hazards.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you reaching into the path of a spindle or drill bit to clear debris or take measurements while the machine is still in motion. Gloves and loose clothing are frequently cited as the primary point of contact that pulls you into the equipment. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, 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 | OK | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a vertical mill to machine a fixture for an engineering project. The employee was using calipers to take a measurement of the fixture in proximity to the spindle when the sleeve of his shop coat got caught in the spindle, pulling his left hand into the tool. The employee sustained a severe abrasion to the back of his hand." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was working with a drill press when his glove and forearm were caught by the drill bit, resulting in lacerations and fractures to his right forearm. The employee's arm was amputated below the elbow." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a lathe in a machine shop. The rotating head of the lathe caught the employee's left glove, resulting in a compound open fracture to the left wrist and a laceration to left ear." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "An employee was sanding a metal tube with sandpaper on a lathe when the sandpaper got caught and wrapped around the tube. The employee's gloved left hand became caught in the lath and he suffered an amputation to the tip of his left thumb and severe tendon/nerve damage to his left arm. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Utilities | "An employee was using a pipe threading machine to thread a 2-inch diameter gas pipe during the rebuilding of a gas meter. The pipe was in a vise mounted on the back of the crew truck. A few pieces of metal chips or shavings caused the threading machine to jam. The employee started to back the pipe up, but it jammed in that direction as well. While reaching to pull the handle back up into place to try and start again, the machine rotated about an inch and pinched his middle fingertip against the edge of the truck s back step. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated without loss of bone." | |
| 2025 | AL | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a thread feeder when it caught her right index finger. The employee was hospitalized for injury to her finger." | |
| 2025 | CA | Manufacturing | "An employee was feeding a 4x6 piece of wood through a jointer. The employee's hand slipped and the blades amputated the distal sections of the second and third fingers on their left hand. A machine guard was in place at the time." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a lathe when his glove was caught and his arm was pulled into the machine, resulting in a broken right forearm. The lathe was not guarded at the time." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was troubleshooting a planer machine. From a control station in the planer room, he raised the feed roller that was in the down position, to clear a board that was jammed in the machine. The employee went back to the control room and locked out the planer machine. He then reentered the planer room and removed the board that was jammed in the machine. After removing the board, a release of stored energy caused the side heads in the machine to rotate, catching the employee s hand in the process. The employee suffered an amputation of his right index finger and a partial amputation of the middle finger." | |
| 2025 | KS | Retail Trade | "An employee was using a CNC mill to drill and countersink holes in a plastic wood product. Their left hand contacted the point of operation (a 1/4" drill bit with a 3/4" countersink) of the vertical drill resulting in a fractured fourth finger and partial amputations (between the last joint and fingernail) of the middle and little fingers." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.