How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 345 severe incidents involving printing machinery since 2015. The majority of these cases involve amputations, which are life-altering injuries that often require extensive surgery and long-term rehabilitation.
The severity of these incidents is driven by the nature of the equipment, which frequently targets your hands and fingers. You may face permanent loss of function, impacting your ability to return to your previous role or perform daily tasks.
How these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when you become caught or entangled in running powered equipment during normal operation. This happens when your hands are pulled into rollers or cylinders while feeding paper, cleaning machinery, or adjusting print plates. These incidents are often the result of inadequate machine guarding or the failure to implement proper lockout-tagout procedures during maintenance.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 268 |
| 2 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 31 |
| 3 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 26 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 4 |
| 5 | Other fall to lower level | 3 |
| 6 | Contact with hot objects or substances | 2 |
| 7 | Struck against stationary object | 2 |
| 8 | Caught or wedged between objects— nonrunning | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 87 percent of all reported printing machinery injuries. This concentration is due to the high-speed nature of production lines where you work in close proximity to exposed rollers and moving parts throughout your shift.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents involve you reaching into machines to clear paper jams, clean rollers, or hang plates while the equipment is still active. These reports highlight how quickly a routine task can lead to a catastrophic injury if safety protocols are ignored or guards are bypassed. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you understand your legal options.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a press and manually feeding paper into the press when their right hand was caught in the press, resulting in several broken bones. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | WI | Manufacturing | "On April 9, 2025, an employee was cleaning anilox rollers in a machine with a rag. The machine caught the rag and then the employee's left hand, resulting in amputation of the middle finger." | |
| 2025 | PA | Professional Services | "An employee was imprinting coffee mugs using a screening machine when a piece of paper fell out of the cup. The employee went to retrieve the piece of paper and the screening machine pushed her right hand against the wall of the machine. The employee sustained compartment syndrome in her right forearm." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "On March 28, 2025, an employee was changing a printer blanket and got caught by the printer's rollers resulting in amputation of their left index finger." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was hanging a print plate on a plate cylinder when his left hand contacted the anilox roll and was pulled into the machine, resulting in the degloving of his left hand." | |
| 2025 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was setting up a book-binding machine. She was correcting a problem in the machine when she suffered a partial amputation to the left index fingertip, caused by a belt and gear." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was cleaning a print impression roller when his shirt sleeve was caught between the meshed gears on the bag machine and his arm was pulled into the gears. He sustained lacerations to his upper forearm and lower bicep." | |
| 2024 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was cleaning and re-webbing a printing press. The employee's right index finger was pinched between the shaft of the printing press and the carriage bearing holder as they came together. The fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2024 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was working on a printing machine when their hand became caught in the machine. The employee sustained a fractured metacarpal, torn tendons, and a dislocated wrist." | |
| 2024 | TX | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was setting up a machine when their left glove was pulled into a nip point. The employee's finger was pulled in and they sustained a partial amputation." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Seek immediate medical attention and ensure your employer files an official incident report. Document the state of the machine and any missing guards, as this evidence is critical for your Workers' Compensation claim. An attorney can help you navigate the complexities of your recovery and ensure your rights are protected.
Employers are required to maintain machine guarding under OSHA standards to prevent contact with moving parts. If a guard was removed, broken, or improperly installed, your employer may be held accountable for your injury. An attorney can help you investigate whether your employer failed to meet these safety obligations.
Workers' Compensation is designed to provide benefits for medical expenses and lost wages, including permanent partial disability payments for the loss of a digit. These benefits are intended to support you during your recovery and beyond. An attorney can help you verify that your benefit calculations accurately reflect the severity of your injury.
While Workers' Compensation is typically the primary path for recovery, third-party claims may be possible if a defective machine part or faulty design contributed to your injury. An investigation into the equipment's maintenance history and manufacturing standards is necessary to determine if other parties are liable. An attorney can help you identify all potential avenues for compensation.