A worker's arm and hand became trapped in machinery at a Rockville food manufacturing business Thursday afternoon, setting off an emergency response that included a medevac helicopter carrying a trauma team to the scene. The adult worker was evaluated as a priority-two trauma patient while crews were still working to free them from the equipment.
The incident happened at Omega 3 Nutrition, located in the 1300 block of East Gude Drive near Southlawn Lane in Rockville, according to Daily Voice. Firefighters were called to the business shortly before 3:30 p.m. Thursday, and crews worked to free the worker, whose arm and hand had become trapped in what was described as an industrial mixer or roller, per the same report.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service was notified of a traumatic injury involving a worker whose extremity had become entangled in machinery, according to spokesperson Pete Piringer, as cited in the Daily Voice account. The University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center's Go Team assisted with the rescue, the outlet reported.
Cause of the Entrapment Still Unclear
The cause and circumstances surrounding how the worker's arm and hand became trapped remain under investigation, and additional details about the worker's condition were not immediately available, the report noted. It is not yet known whether the equipment involved was specifically a mixer, a roller, or some combination of the two.
Omega 3 Nutrition describes itself as a Montgomery County manufacturer that makes granola bars and cereal products, according to a company profile published by ThinkMoco. The same profile states the company's products now reach more than 1.5 million consumers. Sourcing on the company's founding differs slightly: the ThinkMoco profile credits Bright Djampa as founder in 2019, while the company's own LinkedIn page credits Edwin Bright Djampa with founding the business the same year.
Broader Hazards Tied to Mixing Equipment
Workplace injuries involving industrial mixers are not unique to Rockville. In January, the New York Post reported on an Arizona plant worker who was killed after becoming trapped in an industrial mixer, a case in which a family member said, “He was begging for help.” Attorneys at Arnold & Itkin, an industrial-injury law firm, have written that such injuries are rarely random and tend to follow patterns tied to how the machines are used and maintained, though no such determination has been made in the Rockville case.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that food processing equipment workers operate machinery that mixes, cooks, or processes ingredients used in manufacturing food products, a category of industrial work that inherently carries entanglement risks. Workers or witnesses who want to report unsafe working conditions or a severe workplace injury can contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at 800-321-6742, according to OSHA's contact guidance.
No information about potential OSHA involvement, citations, or an employer statement regarding Thursday's incident was available. This is a developing story, and further details about the injured worker's condition are expected as the investigation continues.
