How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 2,094 severe cases involving conveyor belts over the last decade. These incidents most frequently result in amputations, which account for 60% of all reported injuries.
The severity of these incidents is driven by the nature of the equipment, which often targets your fingers and hands. You frequently suffer life-altering trauma that requires extensive surgery and long-term rehabilitation.
How these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when you become caught or entangled in running powered equipment during normal operation, which accounts for 74% of all reported incidents. These accidents often happen when you attempt to clear a jam or clean the belt while the machine is still energized, leading to immediate and severe contact with rollers or transition plates.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 1,532 |
| 2 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 190 |
| 3 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 127 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 71 |
| 5 | Other fall to lower level | 51 |
| 6 | Struck by falling object | 27 |
| 7 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 15 |
| 8 | Fall on same level | 14 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 61% of all conveyor-related injuries, largely because these facilities rely on high-speed automated lines that require constant monitoring. You face the highest risk of entanglement in these environments when clearing debris or performing routine maintenance on machinery that lacks proper safety guarding.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents involve you attempting to clear jams or clean equipment while the conveyor is still in motion. These reports frequently describe your hands or arms becoming trapped between rollers and belts, leading to immediate crushing or amputation. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you evaluate your legal options and ensure your benefits are calculated correctly.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | KS | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was clearing a mail jam on a conveyor belt when her arm got trapped between the rollers. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured arm that required surgery." | |
| 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." | |
| 2025 | FL | Transportation & Warehousing | "After clearing a jam on a secured conveyor belt, an employee walked back to step down, lost their footing, and fell onto the ground outside a bay door. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture to their left arm/elbow." | |
| 2025 | KS | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was sorting packages on a conveyor belt. The employee's hand was caught between the belt and a transition plate, causing lacerations and burns to their hand and wrist." | |
| 2025 | WI | Administrative Services | "At about 11:45 p.m. on July 26, 2025, an employee was cleaning the floor with a pressure washer. While clearing away a piece of sausage, their left hand was caught between the rollers and the belt on a conveyor. The employee suffered partial amputations to the middle and ring fingers." | |
| 2025 | WI | Retail Trade | "An employee was aligning a shipping offload conveyor. A component of the machine caught the employee's left middle finger, amputating it above the second knuckle." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Manufacturing | "An employee was packing candles on a line. They reached down to pick up a 12-pack of candles when their right little finger was caught in the conveyor belt, resulting in an amputation at the distal joint." | |
| 2025 | LA | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was inspecting a drag conveyor when the machine started up while his hand was inside. The employee's left index finger was amputated to the first knuckle." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was troubleshooting to determine why a pallet was not traveling along a continuous vertical conveyor. The conveyor's rollers caused a crushing/laceration injury to the employee's right hand that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | NE | Agriculture | "An employee was using an 8-foot metal pipe to remove a manure blockage at the transfer to an incline conveyer. The employee s left hand was placed on top of the pipe while removing the blockage. The pipe pushed their left hand into the wooden railing of the platform they were standing on, catching their thumb in a pinch point and resulting in partial amputation." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Amputations are the most frequent injury reported in these cases, representing 60% of all severe incidents. The high torque and speed of conveyor rollers can cause catastrophic damage to your fingers and hands in a fraction of a second. An attorney can help you understand the long-term implications of such an injury and how to secure appropriate compensation.
Employers are strictly required to provide adequate machine guarding and lockout-tagout procedures to prevent you from accessing dangerous moving parts. If your employer failed to enforce these safety protocols or provided faulty equipment, they may be held liable for your injuries. An attorney can help you investigate whether your workplace met these federal safety standards.
OSHA mandates that all hazardous moving parts on machinery must be guarded to prevent contact during operation. This includes protecting you from nip points, rollers, and belts that could trap or entangle your limbs. If you were hurt, an attorney can help determine if your employer violated these specific safety regulations.
Workers' Compensation is designed to cover medical expenses and lost wages for you if you are injured on the job, regardless of fault in many cases. Because conveyor injuries are often severe and require complex medical treatment, navigating the claims process can be difficult. An attorney can help you ensure your claim accurately reflects the severity of your injury and the long-term impact on your ability to work.