How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 38 severe injury cases involving office, banking, and retail equipment over the last decade. The vast majority of these incidents result in amputations, which are life-altering injuries that require extensive medical care and often lead to permanent disability.
Finger injuries represent 82% of all reported cases for this equipment category. Because these machines often involve fast-moving belts and sprockets, the force exerted on your hand is frequently enough to cause immediate, severe tissue and bone loss.
How these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when you are caught or entangled in running powered equipment during normal operation. This often happens when a machine jams and you attempt to clear debris or adjust a belt without the equipment being fully DE-energized. Other injuries occur during maintenance or testing when machines are jogged or cycled while your hand is near exposed drive components.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 28 |
| 2 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 3 |
| 3 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 3 |
| 4 | Struck by falling object | 2 |
| 5 | Contact with non-running objects or equipment— unspecified | 1 |
| 6 | Struck against stationary object | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 37% of these severe injuries, as this sector relies heavily on high-speed inserter and mail processing machinery. The high volume of repetitive tasks in these environments increases the likelihood of contact with moving parts, especially when safety guards are bypassed or improperly maintained during clearing operations.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you attempting to clear jams or repair drive belts while machinery is still powered or capable of cycling. These incidents frequently occur when you reach into a divert bin or near a sprocket to remove debris, only for the machine to pull your fingers into the mechanism. 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 | TX | Manufacturing | "A maintenance employee was repairing a bent pusher on the inserting machine. The employee jogged the machine to view the pusher and his left hand was caught in the metal sprocket that drives the chain with the pusher, resulting in amputation of their left little finger at the first joint and the tip of the left middle finger." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating the inserter machine and was removing debris that was lodged at the divert rejection bin when his left index fingertip was caught by a belt and lacerated. The employee sustained amputation of the fingertip." | |
| 2024 | OH | Information | "An employee was installing an ATM and caught their finger between the metal bottom of the ATM and the concrete resulting in a fingertip amputation. " | |
| 2024 | MN | Transportation & Warehousing | "On September 9, 2024, an employee was operating the dual pass rough cull (DPRC) machine when their left index finger contacted the chain belt, resulting in amputation of the fingertip. " | |
| 2024 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was troubleshooting a drive belt on a mail processing machine. When the employee tried to cycle the machine by hand, it started up. The employee's left hand came into contact with the belt, which pulled the employee's fingers into the belt and pulley. The employee suffered an amputation to the left little fingertip (diagonally across the nail), as well as lacerations to three other fingers that required stitches." | |
| 2023 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was retrieving a tool from an envelope inserting machine. A belt pulled the employee's hand into the machine's gears, causing multiple finger amputations." | |
| 2023 | NJ | Administrative Services | "An employee was using a metal cleaning rod to clear a jam in a paper shredder. The shredder began to shred paper and the equipment grabbed the rod, pulling the rod and the employee's right index finger into the hole. The employee suffered a fingertip amputation." | |
| 2023 | MA | Construction | "On April 28, 2023, an employee was installing new wire upgrades to a self-checkout cash register. While pulling the electrical wires through a hole on the bottom of the register, they sustained a left middle fingertip amputation from the sharp metal on the cash register frame." | |
| 2022 | IL | Administrative Services | "On December 9, 2022, an employee was moving a change machine when it fell on them. The employee was hospitalized for a femur fracture." | |
| 2022 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was at a customer site to service a paper punch machine. The employee's left ring and little fingertips were in the die area when the machine cycled resulting in amputation of both fingertips." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Workers' Compensation is designed to cover medical expenses and lost wages for injuries you sustain while performing job duties. Because these injuries are often severe and require surgery, you are entitled to benefits regardless of who was at fault for the accident. An attorney can help ensure your claim accurately reflects the long-term impact of your injury.
Workers' Compensation is a no-fault system, meaning you are generally eligible for benefits even if you made a mistake while operating the equipment. Employers are responsible for providing safe machinery, adequate guarding, and proper training to prevent these exact accidents. An attorney can investigate whether your employer failed to meet these safety obligations.
OSHA mandates that all hazardous machine parts must be guarded to prevent contact during operation or maintenance. If a machine lacks proper guarding or if lockout-tagout procedures were not followed, your employer may be in violation of federal safety standards. An attorney can help determine if these regulatory failures contributed to your injury.
Recovery time varies significantly based on the severity of the amputation and the type of work you perform. Many workers require multiple surgeries, physical therapy, and time for the wound to heal before you can safely return to your duties. An attorney can help you understand how to document your recovery and secure the benefits you need during this period.