How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 197 severe cases involving cleaning machinery and appliances over the last decade. Amputations are the most frequent injury type, accounting for 54% of all reported incidents. These injuries are rarely minor, often requiring extensive medical intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
The severity of these incidents is driven by the nature of the equipment, which frequently involves high-speed moving parts. Fingers are the most commonly affected body part, suffering 55% of all reported injuries. The permanent loss of function or digits often leaves you facing significant challenges in returning to your previous roles.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when you are caught or entangled in powered equipment during normal operation, which accounts for 50% of all cases. Many others happen during maintenance or cleaning when machines are not properly powered down or guarded. You are frequently struck by moving components or compressed between equipment and nearby objects while attempting to clear clogs or retrieve items.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 97 |
| 2 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 23 |
| 3 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 16 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 11 |
| 5 | Direct exposure to electricity | 11 |
| 6 | Struck by falling object | 8 |
| 7 | Vehicle or machinery fire | 6 |
| 8 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 5 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing leads all sectors with 43% of these severe incidents. The high volume of automated cleaning and dust collection systems in these facilities creates constant exposure to moving parts. Other services and food service industries also report significant numbers, as you often interact with high-pressure washers and dish machines that lack adequate safety interlocks.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you attempting to clear clogs or retrieve items from energized equipment without proper lockout procedures. Many incidents occur when guards are bypassed or missing, leaving your fingers and hands vulnerable to rotating rotors, augers, and gears. If your injury occurred while performing routine maintenance or clearing a jam on a machine that should have been secured, an attorney can help you review the specific failures that led to your harm.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TX | Other Services | "On July 17, 2025, after someone reported a burning smell at the car wash exit near the washing machine, an employee was inspecting the area. When the employee touched the washing machine, he was electrocuted and hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | CT | Manufacturing | "At 12:09 p.m. on July 11, 2025, an employee was inspecting the dust collection system in a plant. The employee was checking an airlock to determine whether there was suction when their left index and middle fingers were pinched between the rotating rotor and the housing of the airlock. The employee suffered amputations of both fingertips without bone loss." | |
| 2025 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was assisting in clearing a clogged hopper in a dust collection room. His right hand was caught by the auger and his index, middle, and ring fingers were amputated. The machine was energized at the time." | |
| 2025 | IL | Construction | "An employee was loading a dry vacuum onto the liftgate of his pickup truck and raised the liftgate. While standing on the ground, he went to push the vacuum into the truck. The vacuum tipped over and fell on top of him. The employee sustained four fractured ribs and a collapsed left lung." | |
| 2025 | FL | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was washing dishes and a bottle fell behind the dish machine. The employee went to retrieve it when his finger was caught in a gear and the fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "An employee was clearing a clogged hose connected to a vacuum when the vacuum engaged and pulled her arm inside, resulting in hospitalization the next day due to swelling, discoloration, and pain." | |
| 2025 | TX | Other Services | "An employee was preparing a car to go into a carwash stall when a ratchet strap fell onto the track, becoming tangled and causing the track to stop. The employee went to remove the strap when the track began moving again, contacting his right arm and resulting in a broken lower arm and two broken fingers." | |
| 2025 | IL | Administrative Services | "An employee was trying to move a vacuum hose when the vacuum system pulled in his right hand and arm. He suffered soft tissue damage and edema to the arm." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "Employees went to the trim saw control panel to investigate a malfunction. They ascended the baghouse ladder. A chemical explosion occurred within the baghouse. Two employees sustained burns to their face, neck, and arms." | |
| 2025 | TX | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee opened up the bottom grate of the washing machine to adjust the microswitch drive on the unbalanced microswitch. Once they adjusted the rod on the microswitch, the washing machine started back up. The employee sustained a complete amputation of the left arm to the middle of the humerus and lacerations to the head." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.