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Long Island Worker Loses Tips of Three Fingers While Cleaning Food Dicing Machine

Elmer Rios, 45, lost the tips of three fingers after reaching into a food dicing machine to clean it at L&S Packing Company in East Farmingdale on Nov. 26. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center with serious injuries. Suffolk County First Squad Detectives are investigating and OSHA has been notified. The company has not provided an immediate public comment.

08:53 PM, 11/28/2025Society
Long Island Worker Loses Tips of Three Fingers While Cleaning Food Dicing Machine

Elmer Rios, 45, suffered severe injuries after losing the tips of three fingers while cleaning a food dicing machine at the L&S Packing Company facility in East Farmingdale, Long Island, on Nov. 26.

Suffolk County police say Rios, who lives in North Amityville, reached into the machine to clear a jam and three fingertips were severed. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center with serious injuries. Suffolk County First Squad Detectives are investigating the incident.

Officials have notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which enforces workplace safety standards. The notification indicates this is being treated as a workplace incident and will be reviewed by federal workplace-safety investigators.

L&S Packing Company describes itself as a specialty food manufacturer and importer and lists services such as hot and cold pack filling, tumble filling, vacuum packing, pasteurization, packaging and label production. The company did not provide an immediate public comment at the time of the report.

Safety note: Workers who operate or service sharp food-processing equipment are typically advised to follow lockout/tagout procedures, use machine guards, and wear appropriate cut-resistant gloves when cleaning or handling moving parts. Authorities and OSHA investigators will determine whether required safety protocols were in place and followed.

Further details on the cause of the incident and Rios's condition were not released pending the investigation.

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