Nu-tek Food Science, LLC

An employee was emptying a waste barrel into a steel hopper. The barrels are attached to a forklift with a bracket and the forklift is used to raise the barrel over the steel hopper. Once raised, a chain is used to operate a pulley mechanism attached to the bracket that tips the barrel horizontally to empty the contents into the hopper. A link in the chain used to operate the pulley system detached. The employee went to manually dump the barrel and the barrel slid down, crushing his left hand between the barrel and the hopper. The employee sustained an injury to their left ring and little fingers that required surgery and partial amputation of the little finger.