How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 721 severe cases involving mining and tunneling machinery over the past decade. These incidents most frequently result in amputations, which account for 47% of all reported injuries.
The severity of these accidents is reflected in the high frequency of finger injuries, which represent 50% of all cases. You face life-altering trauma, including fractures and internal injuries, when heavy equipment fails or is not properly secured.
How these injuries happen
Injuries involving mining and tunneling machinery most often occur when you are caught or entangled in running equipment, which accounts for 32% of all incidents. These accidents frequently happen during routine operation or maintenance when machines are not properly locked out. You are also at risk of being compressed between moving parts and stationary objects or struck by equipment that shifts unexpectedly during drilling or boring operations.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 218 |
| 2 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 135 |
| 3 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 91 |
| 4 | Other fall to lower level | 88 |
| 5 | Struck by falling object | 28 |
| 6 | Struck by suspended or swinging object | 22 |
| 7 | Vehicle or machinery fire | 15 |
| 8 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 14 |
Where injuries happen most
Mining operations account for 75% of all reported severe injuries involving this machinery, reflecting the high-risk nature of underground and surface extraction environments. Construction sites follow as the second most common setting, where heavy boring and drilling equipment is used to install infrastructure. In both industries, the complexity of the machinery requires strict adherence to safety protocols to prevent catastrophic contact with moving parts.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents involve machinery that was not locked out or tagged out during maintenance, leading to unexpected movement or crushing. Many reports describe you becoming trapped while clearing build-up or making adjustments to active drilling units. 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 contributed to your injury.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was making adjustments on the curtain of an apron machine when their right little finger became caught in the crushing unit of the machine. The employee sustained an amputation past the first knuckle. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was operating a road boring machine to install a water line underneath a highway when the machine moved and closed on his leg, pinching it against the trench and resulting in a broken leg." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was working to remove the auger of a boring machine from a new water pipe. The boring machine bound up and rolled which pinched the employee between the roll cage bar of the boring machine and the trench box. The employee sustained pelvic and lower extremity fractures with internal injuries." | |
| 2024 | TX | Construction | "An employee was loading a directional drill unit onto a trailer when their finger was caught between the directional drill unit and the trailer. The employee's finger was partially amputated." | |
| 2024 | TX | Construction | "An employee was cleaning coal build-up inside pulverizers that were 10 feet 3 inches wide and contained three stationary rollers. After dislodging a piece of coal, the employee exited the pulverizers when the converging floor moved and their left leg was caught between one of the three rollers. The employee suffered injuries including a laceration to the lower left thigh and multiple fractures to the lower left leg. The motor to the converging floor was not in place at the time of the incident." | |
| 2024 | FL | Construction | "An employee was offloading a plate compactor from the company truck and felt pain in the abdominal area. The employee sustained a hernia." | |
| 2024 | WI | Construction | "On May 28, 2024, the injured employee climbed on a trailer to perform a repair on a horizontal directional drill. A second employee was offloading the drill and drove the drill so the ramp could be deployed. The injured employee's lower right leg became caught between the tracks of the drill and the trailer, resulting in fractures to the ankle and tibia." | |
| 2023 | OK | Mining | "An employee was standing on the rig floor next to a polishing unit. His hand was placed on the polishing unit when the pump was lowered, resulting in amputation of their right thumb, ring, and middle fingertips." | |
| 2023 | CO | Mining | "An employee was retrieving a lost drill pipe with a lifting bail when their left thumb got pinched between the table and handle of the lifting bail while trying to re-thread the pipe to lift it out. The employee suffered an amputation to the left thumb." | |
| 2023 | TX | Mining | "An employee was assisting with pipe on a drilling rig. The slips came down and landed on the employee's left foot fracturing four metatarsals." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Immediate medical attention is the priority, followed by ensuring the incident is documented by your employer and reported to OSHA if it meets federal criteria. An attorney can help you navigate the complex Workers' Compensation process to ensure your long-term medical and rehabilitation needs are covered.
Employers are strictly required to follow lockout and tagout procedures to prevent the unexpected startup of machinery during maintenance. Failure to implement these safety measures often constitutes a significant breach of duty, and an attorney can help you evaluate whether this failure supports a claim for additional benefits.
Workers' Compensation is designed to cover medical expenses and lost wages for injuries sustained on the job, regardless of fault. If you have suffered a fracture, an attorney can help you verify that your benefits are being calculated correctly and that all related medical costs are included.
OSHA mandates specific guarding and safety protocols for powered equipment to protect you from entanglement and crushing hazards. When these standards are ignored, the risk of severe injury increases dramatically, and an attorney can help you determine if your employer failed to meet these essential safety obligations.