Progressive Converting Inc. was cited across three OSHA investigations and fined $280,110 after an employee suffered two fingertip amputations at the Appleton, Wisconsin paper products manufacturing facility due to inadequate machine guarding and energy control procedures.

Progressive Converting Inc. — Employee Fingertip Amputations, Three OSHA Investigations (2025)

Outcome: An employee at Progressive Converting Inc.'s Appleton, Wisconsin paper products facility suffered two fingertip amputations due to machine hazards, triggering three separate OSHA investigations; the company was cited for 3 repeat, 13 serious, and 3 other-than-serious violations and fined $280,110.

Progressive Converting Inc. manufactures paper products at its Appleton, Wisconsin facility. An employee suffered two fingertip amputations at the facility due to machine hazards — an injury severe enough to prompt three separate OSHA investigations. Investigators found the company had not implemented adequate machine guarding to prevent worker contact with moving parts, had not established written energy control (lockout/tagout) procedures for machinery requiring service or maintenance, and had not trained workers on the hazardous energy procedures that were in place.

The three repeat violations signaled that these same deficiency categories had been previously cited. OSHA also issued 13 serious violations covering additional machine guarding and energy control gaps, and three other-than-serious violations for documentation and training recordkeeping failures. OSHA proposed a penalty of $280,110.

Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites paper products manufacturer for safety, health violations following 3 investigations