Musical instrument manufacturer fined $273K after worker suffers finger-tip amputation
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An OSHA investigation has determined that Conn-Selmer Inc., a musical instrument manufacturer, reported six amputation injuries in the past eight years. According to the agency, this rate is four times higher than the industry average. The most recent injury occurred when an employee was setting up a machine die inside a press used to manufacture sousaphones and suffered a finger-tip amputation. The company was cited for three repeat and three serious violations. These violations include failing to implement lockout/tagout programs, a lack of machine guarding, and failing to properly train workers. Because of these repeat violations, Conn-Selmer was placed in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program and faces $273,447 in fines.
In a recent quote, OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts said, "Conn-Selmer must address their higher-than-average injury rate and protect their workers from machine hazards by properly guarding all machinery, training workers and using lockout/tagout procedures, as required by law. During previous OSHA investigations Conn-Selmer has added machine guarding and conducted additional employee training, but workers are still getting injured. The company must do a better job and make a complete and thorough review of all their machine processes to ensure worker safety."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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