How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 134 severe incidents involving hooks, shackles, and magnets over the last decade. Amputations, avulsions, and enucleations account for 49% of these reported cases, reflecting the extreme force involved when rigging equipment fails or slips.
These injuries are particularly devastating because they often involve your hands and fingers, which account for 57% of all reported body part trauma. You may face life-altering consequences, including permanent loss of function and extensive reconstructive surgery.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries typically occur when equipment is improperly rigged or when a load shifts unexpectedly. The most common event is being compressed between running equipment and another object, which accounts for 39% of all cases. Whether a hook slips from a load, a magnet loses its grip, or a sling fails under tension, the sudden release of energy often leaves you with no time to react.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 50 |
| 2 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 20 |
| 3 | Struck by suspended or swinging object | 17 |
| 4 | Struck by falling object | 17 |
| 5 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 9 |
| 6 | Caught or wedged between objects— nonrunning | 5 |
| 7 | Injured by object handled by person | 3 |
| 8 | Struck by running powered equipment— n.e.c. | 3 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 52% of all reported hook and magnet injuries. This high frequency stems from the constant use of overhead cranes and automated lifting lines where you must manually position heavy components. When your employer fails to maintain rigging hardware or provide adequate training on load stabilization, the risk of a catastrophic equipment failure increases significantly.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents involve manual handling of heavy lifting apparatuses, such as J-hooks or chain slings, where a momentary lapse in load security leads to a crushing or severing injury. Many reports describe situations where a hook slips or a magnet retracts, catching your finger or striking you with high-velocity force. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | AL | Manufacturing | "An employee was loading components into fixtures on an automated CNC Line. He was moving a J-Hook lifting apparatus by hand from its storage location to the raw material area in order to pick up a piece of steel. The employee had the crane remote and the neck of the J-Hook apparatus in his right hand. When he went to set the J-Hook down on the floor, he placed his left middle finger inside of the lifting loop of the magnet. As he manually lowered the J-Hook to the floor by the neck, it fell. As the neck dropped to the floor, the magnet shifted and the lifting loop of the magnet retracted into the bracket of the J-Hook, fracturing and amputating the fingertip." | |
| 2025 | NE | Manufacturing | "An employee was applying spreader hooks to hogs. A hog fell from the hook that he was holding upright and the hook lacerated a tendon in his left hand. The employee was hospitalized for surgery. " | |
| 2025 | AR | Manufacturing | "An employee was hoisting an axle in the buggy department when one side of the sling came loose, causing the axle to tip. The sling hook raised up from the weight transfer, causing the employee's left little finger to be caught by the rigidness of the hook. The fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | OK | Manufacturing | "An employee was rigging equipment at a manufacturing site. He was rigging a chain sling with a hook to lift up machine paneling and access the linear bearings. The chain sling hook slipped, went into the air, and struck the employee on the head, resulting in a skull fracture and brain bleed." | |
| 2025 | OK | Manufacturing | "An employee was moving several bundles of building materials with an overhead crane. The load was off-center when he picked it up, so the employee set it down, repositioned the chains, and lifted the bundle again. When the bundle was lifted, one of the hooks immediately came loose and shot back, striking him on his right cheek. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured cheekbone and facial lacerations, and he required surgery." | |
| 2025 | IL | Wholesale Trade | "On March 18, 2025, an employee was stacking parts using an overhead crane equipped with an electromagnet when their left ring finger got caught in a pinch point between the parts, resulting in a fingertip amputation." | |
| 2024 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was checking an inline magnet. The magnet was placed on a cart next to another magnet and the magnets moved toward each other. The employee's right ring fingertip was caught and amputated." | |
| 2024 | AL | Manufacturing | "On November 25, 2024, an assembly line employee was preparing to hoist a fully assembled cast iron fire hydrant using a C-clamp hoist. Their left index fingertip became caught between the hook and the eye ring resulting in amputation of the fingertip." | |
| 2024 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was spacing cow carcasses, which were suspended on the railing of a conveyor. A carcass came off the railing and fell to the killing floor. A shackle also fell off the conveyor, and it struck the middle of the employee's left foot and broke it." | |
| 2024 | WV | Utilities | "An employee was helping a contractor unload reels of wire using a digger derrick lifting hook. The hook struck the employee in the head below the hard hat, causing a laceration. The employee was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.