Date | City | State | Employer | Body Part | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021-11-16 | Throckmorton | Tx | Nordex USA, Inc. | Multiple body parts | Other fall to lower level |
An employee was climbing down a fixed ladder on a wind turbine tower. He fell and landed on a platform on the tower level below, suffering head trauma, a broken leg, and loss of consciousness. He was hospitalized. | |||||
2021-11-05 | Peyton | Co | Towers Northwest | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation |
An employee was pulling a cable up a communication tower using a capstan winch. His left arm contacted the winch line and became entangled under the rope and drum. He suffered three broken arm bones, constriction wounds, and lacerations to the arm. His middle and ring fingers were medically amputated. | |||||
2021-10-27 | Boston | Ga | Energy Systems Southeast, LLC | Multiple body parts | Fire |
An employee was removing a compressor from an HVAC unit located at a cell tower site. He was using a torch to disconnect a copper line from the compressor. When the line came loose, a flash fire occurred, resulting in second degree burns to the employee's face and wrist. | |||||
2021-10-23 | Huntsville | Al | Williams Erection Company, Inc. | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part |
An employee was connecting a structural steel beam when the beam became stuck on surrounding iron while being lowered into position by a tower crane. The employee dislodged the iron and the beam fell, pinching the employee's left ring fingertip and amputating it at the distal joint. | |||||
2021-10-21 | Mason City | Il | William Charles Electric, LLC | Head and trunk | Struck by falling object or equipment |
An employee working inside a wind tower was hit in the head by a falling object, resulting in a skull fracture and broken ribs that required hospitalization. | |||||
2021-09-27 | Sulphur | La | Wastewater Specialties, LLC | Multiple body parts | Explosion or fire on water vehicle |
Five workers of two employers (Wastewater Specialties, LLC and Westlake Chemical Lake Charles South) were hospitalized when a flash fire in a vessel occurred. Two employees were on an elevated platform welding a flange onto a 54-inch segment of process piping at the quench tower. Three other workers were engaged in a hydro blasting operation. Employee 1 suffered head trauma, lacerations, and burns. Employee 2 suffered a lower leg/ankle injury. The other workers sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns | |||||
2021-09-03 | Lakewood | Co | Terumo BCT | Hand(s) and arm(s) | Direct exposure to electricity |
A cooling tower fan had stopped working. The breaker feeding the fan had been turned off, and an employee was investigating the problem with the fan. The subpanel was connected to a variable-speed motor; a circuit overloaded and an arc flash burned the employee's left arm, forearm, and hand. | |||||
2021-08-09 | Bentonville | Ar | LITHKO CONTRACTING LLC | Fingertip(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
An employee was steadying a wall form as a tower crane lowered it. The employee's left middle finger was pinched between the ribbed area of the formwork and a clamp. The fingertip was amputated. | |||||
2021-07-29 | Calera | Ok | AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
An employee was at a site where a communications tower was being installed. The employee was tying rebar when he became ill and then fainted due to a heat-related illness. | |||||
2021-07-26 | Ashford | Wv | Rokstad Power | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
After carrying a suitcase generator (weighing 45-50 pounds) from a tower to a substation about 125 feet away, an employee felt hot, collapsed, and was hospitalized, suffering from possible heat exhaustion/heat stress. | |||||
2021-07-09 | Carol Stream | Il | Jetco, Ltd | Multiple body parts | Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet |
The injured employee was descending a fixed ladder in the base cone of a spheroidal design water tower. Another employee above him was lowering a plastic, 5-gallon bucket full of tools with a rope. The handle on the bucket broke and the bucket and its contents fell on the injured employee causing him to let go of the ladder and fall approximately 10-12 feet to the lower level. The injured employee sustained fractured vertebrae, a concussion, and lacerations to the face and head. | |||||
2021-04-28 | Cartersville | Ga | NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE | Head | Struck by swinging or slipping object, other than handheld, n.e.c. |
An employee was removing weights from the base of a sensor wind tower. The tower tilted and struck the employee, causing a head injury that required staples. | |||||
2021-04-08 | Lamar | Co | RailWorks Signals & Communications, Inc. | Foot (feet) | Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part |
Employees were putting in the helical foundation to install a PTC tower when they hit rock and stopped work. An employee took the boom truck remote control and climbed onto the boom truck bed and proceeded to disconnect the foundation adapter plate from the helical foundation. The employee then lifted the boom to remove the helical foundation from compression and pushed the foundation over toward the ground at the back of the boom truck. At that time, the injured employee came around the back of | |||||
2021-03-12 | Rochester | Ny | PFAUDLER, INC. | Head | Struck by falling object or equipment, n.e.c. |
An employee was leaving the facility for the day. As the employee was about to exit the building, he stopped at a table that stores hand sanitizer and face masks. At the same time, the work platform adjacent to the table was struck by a transfer car that was being repositioned. When the transfer car struck the tower, it dislodged a service part (2" steel blind flange) from one of the platform levels, which then fell and struck the employee on the head. The employee sustained a laceration, contus | |||||
2021-02-23 | Ames | Ok | BLATTNER ENERGY INC | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects |
An employee was removing bolts from a crane to disconnect the crane from a wind tower. When the crane was being lifted up, the employee's left hand caught on a bolt and was pulled into the bolt, resulting in an amputated thumb and ring finger. | |||||
2021-01-30 | Cleveland | Oh | Harmon Inc. | Pelvis | Struck by object or equipment, n.e.c. |
A crew placed a crate of windows on top of the roof of a building using a tower crane. After landing the crate and unstrapping it, a gust of wind blew the straps, causing the straps to reattach to the crate's corner and lift the crate. The crate struck the injured employee in the hip resulting in a broken pelvis. | |||||
2021-01-12 | Nicholville | Ny | Warren W. Breezee | Multiple trunk locations | Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet |
An employee was securing a third antenna mount to a cell tower. While adjusting his position on the tower, to move the mount being winched into place, he fell approximately 145 feet to the ground, resulting in a broken back, broken pelvis, broken ribs, spleen trauma, and other contusions. | |||||
2020-10-19 | Fernandina Beach | Fl | The L.E. Myers Co. | Hand(s) and arm(s) | Direct exposure to electricity |
On October 19, 2020, around 4:00 p.m. two line crew members were removing a fallen static transmission line when the line broke from the top of the tower and contacted the energized line on the opposite side of the tower causing an arc flash. The employees suffered burns to their hand and arms. | |||||
2020-10-15 | Bridger | Mt | Mortenson Construction | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
An employee was connecting the tower to the spike when his finger was caught between the two. The employee's right index finger was amputated at the first knuckle. | |||||
2020-10-06 | Lincoln | Ne | Contitech | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to other harmful substances |
An employee became ill from Legionella bacteria suspected to have come from a chiller tower in the workplace. | |||||
2020-10-03 | Point Comfort | Tx | Turn2 Specialty Companies LLC | Fingertip(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
Two employees were moving a pallet of tower trays and beams using a hydraulic pallet jack when a board from the pallet became caught under one of the wheels of the pallet jack. An employee was removing the board when the hydraulics were released, lowering the pallet onto the employee's hand and resulting in partial amputation of the left index fingertip. | |||||
2020-09-29 | New York | Ny | Planned Companies | Back, including spine, spinal cord | Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet |
An employee was climbing a stepladder to check the coolant level on a roof. When the employee tried to open the cooling tower door, the handle broke off and he slipped and fell. He landed on his back about 3 feet below. He was hospitalized. | |||||
2020-09-25 | Gainesville | Tx | The Industrial Company | Abdomen, except internal location of diseases or disorders | Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker |
An employee was using a push-pull slam wrench to land a base section of a wind tower. The tool struck the employee's abdomen, causing a mid-section hematoma. | |||||
2020-09-24 | Baytown | Tx | Brandsafway, LLC | Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders | Fall or jump curtailed by personal fall arrest system |
Two employees were inside a man basket suspended by a tower crane. They were erecting a suspended scaffold for a CAT 3, which processes hydrocarbons. The suspended man basket descended about 14 feet in 1-2 seconds before stopping. The basket did not strike the ground, but one of the employees fell out of the basket and was hanging off the side. The employees were wearing fall protection at the time. Both employees were hospitalized. Employee 1 sustained four fractured ribs and contusions to the | |||||
2020-09-15 | Sinton | Tx | System One | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
A temporary employee was installing a structural steel brace for a cooling tower being erected. An unsupported brace slid off a column and the employee's right index and middle finger were pinched between the two. The employee suffered amputations to both fingers below the knuckles. | |||||
2020-08-21 | Eliot | Me | Murphy Electric & Industrial Control, LLC. | Leg(s) | Fall on same level due to tripping on uneven surface |
An employee was attempting to punch a hole into the cooling tower support beam using the hydraulic punch set. The employee's foot slipped out on uneven ground and the employee fell to the ground dropping the tool onto his leg and fracturing it. | |||||
2020-08-20 | Stone Mountain | Ga | Maxim Crane Works | Upper and lower limb(s) | Indirect exposure to electricity |
An employee was disassembling a mobile crane. Part of the crane came in contact with a service line for a cell tower. The employee sustained electrical burns to the left arm and right foot. | |||||
2020-08-19 | Donaldsonville | La | COOLING TOWER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | Multiple trunk locations | Other fall to lower level |
An employee was tasked with maintenance work on top of a cooling tower. While leaving the tower, the employee lost his footing and fell to the ground, resulting in a head laceration, bruised lung, and spinal fractures. | |||||
2020-08-14 | Sarasota | Fl | Pinecraft Scaffolding, Inc. | Back, including spine, spinal cord | Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet |
While erecting stair tower scaffolding, an employee fell about 6 feet and landed on a concrete slab. The employee suffered a back injury. | |||||
2020-07-17 | Fort Myers | Florida | SNS Erectors | Leg(s) | Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet |
An employee was making precast connections at the construction of a new air tower. The anchor gave way and the employee fell 3 to 4 feet to the next level resulting in a fractured left leg. | |||||
2020-07-07 | Kansas City | Missouri | Dun-Par Engineered Form | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
An employee developed dehydration while removing bracing from a shoring tower. | |||||
2020-07-05 | Rothschild | Wisconsin | TC Lodging Partners | Head and trunk | Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet |
An employee became dizzy while descending a water park tower, falling down three stairs and hitting her middle back and the back of her head. | |||||
2020-07-04 | Hewitt | Texas | FedEx Ground | Nonclassifiable | Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet |
An employee fell approximately 10 feet from the second elevated platform to the first elevated platform of an elevated sort tower and landed on the guard rail resulting in a fracture injury. | |||||
2020-07-02 | Trent | Texas | GE Renewables | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
An employee was working on a wind tower when he began to experience cramping. He was hospitalized for heat stress. | |||||
2020-06-30 | Williamsburg | Kansas | JMZ Corporation | Multiple body parts | Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts |
An employee was sitting on a tower platform running a new cable to the top for a new antenna installation. A gust of wind blew the other end of the cable, causing it to swing and then strike proximal transmission lines. An arc occurred, and the current went into the employee's left arm and out his lower left side. He descended a fixed ladder with assistance and was hospitalized with electrical burns to the left arm, buttock, and thigh. | |||||
2020-06-23 | Gilbert | West Virgini | McDaniel Electric, Inc | Multiple body parts | Other fall to lower level 21 to 25 feet |
Two employees were accessing a water tower. They climbed a ladder to access a walkway. One of the employees fell from the walkway to the ground, a distance of 23 feet. The employee suffered multiple fractures including a fractured pelvis, upper arm and two ribs. | |||||
2020-06-18 | Lawton | Oklahoma | Midco Diving & Marine Services | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
After working on a water tower at a height of approximately 120 feet, an employee returned to the ground and felt ill. He was hospitalized for heat exhaustion. | |||||
2020-06-12 | Wheeling | Illinois | D & M Painting Corporation | Nonclassifiable | Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet |
Two employees were working inside of a water tower to erect scaffolding when they fell approximately 40 feet to the ground. | |||||
2020-06-05 | Seymour | Texas | Run Energy | Head, neck, and trunk | Direct exposure to electricity |
An employee was walking into a wind tower to check on a restart failure inside the cabinet at the base of the wind turbine. An arc flash caused burns to the employee's chest, neck, and face. | |||||
2020-06-03 | Stonewall | Texas | Fuellgraf Chimney & Tower, Inc. | Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders | Other fall to lower level 26 to 30 feet |
An employee was climbing down a fixed ladder on a TV broadcast tower. The employee fell 25-30 feet to the ground. He suffered broken ankles, broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a spinal cord injury and was hospitalized. | |||||
2020-06-01 | Seale | Alabama | Strong Tower Enterprises | Multiple body parts | Fall from collapsing structure or equipment |
Employees were decommissioning a tower. The tower collapsed while two employees were on it. One employee was hospitalized for a fractured pelvis and legs. | |||||
2020-06-01 | Lamar | Colorado | FieldCore Service Solutions, LLC | Forearm(s) | Direct exposure to electricity |
An employee was tucking cables into an electrical cabinet up the tower on a wind turbine when he was electrically shocked, suffering burns to the left forearm that required hospitalization. | |||||
2020-05-27 | Sioux Falls | South Dakota | Maguire Iron, Inc. | Nonclassifiable | Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet |
An employee was painting a water tower with a pneumatic paint sprayer. While on top of the water tower, the employee slipped and fell over the edge striking the catwalk and then the ground about 100 feet below. He was hospitalized for multiple fractures. The employee was wearing a harness with a lanyard attachment, but the lanyard was not attached to an anchor point. | |||||
2020-05-22 | Sarita | Texas | Renewable Energy Systems Americas, Inc. | Fingertip(s) | Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects |
An employee was rigging the motor on a tower when his right hand was caught in a pinch point, resulting in an open fracture with an amputation of the right middle distal fingertip. | |||||
2020-05-07 | Miramar Beach | Florida | GCF Concrete Inc. | Toes(s), toenail(s) | Struck by falling object or equipment |
On May 7, 2020, an employee was helping to set up a scaffold tower on ground level when the jacking system fell over and struck his right foot, resulting in the amputation of one toe. He was hospitalized. | |||||
2020-04-23 | Austin | Texas | CAPFORM, INC. | Multiple back regions | Struck, caught, or crushed in other collapsing structure or equipment |
Two employees were taking cross-braces off a shoring tower and handing them to a third employee at the base of the frame. They were working from the top down, and had removed the braces from the top two sections; as they began to remove the braces from the bottom section, the tower tipped over and landed on the employee on the ground. The employee suffered three broken vertebrae and three dislocated vertebrae in the back. | |||||
2020-04-13 | Hitchcock | Texas | W Baker Steel LLC | Leg(s) | Fall through surface or existing opening |
An employee was about to remove the stair tower so that he and other crew members could replace it with a new tower. He was at the stair landing between the bottom floor and the second floor. He stepped up the first stair tread. The angle clip that held the tread in place was rotted. The employee fell through the stairs to the ground, breaking his right leg. | |||||
2020-03-11 | Griffin | Georgia | Berry Global Inc. | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation |
An employee working as a tower operator was performing a task that requires the blending of compounds used to fabricate plastic. While operating the regrind machine, the employee's left middle finger was partially amputated. | |||||
2020-01-30 | Johns Creek | Georgia | United Maintenance, Inc. | Multiple body parts | Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet |
On January 30, 2020, an employee was quoting repairs on a cooling tower basin. He was standing on the concrete area that the boilers are on, discussing the repairs with the customer and a subcontractor. He attempted to step off of the platform but was closer to the edge than he realized, causing him to lose balance and fall about 20 inches to the ground below. He suffered a broken hip and broken right wrist. | |||||
2020-01-27 | Alum Bank | Pennsylvania | Creative Pultrusions | Thigh(s) | Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part |
An employee was attempting to put a clevis on a section of fiberglass walls stored on a cart. The sections are used to make cooling towers. The employee moved a piece to clear the clevis and approximately 10-12 4'x30' sections fell over and struck the employee on his left femur. The employee was knocked to the ground and the pieces landed on his leg. He sustained a broken left femur that required surgical repair. | |||||
2020-01-20 | Snyder | Texas | INVENERGY SERVICES LLC | Hand(s) | Direct exposure to electricity |
An employee was replacing a converter box in a wind tower. He contacted an electrical line and suffered burns to the left hand. He was hospitalized. | |||||
2020-01-16 | El Paso | Texas | Osburn Contractors, Inc. | Multiple body parts | Fall through surface or existing opening |
An employee was stacking and organizing materials at a tower construction site when he fell through a 3-foot-by-6-foot hole that had been covered by plywood. He landed on a lower-level floor and suffered fractures to the left femur, left foot, left arm, and pelvis. | |||||
2019-09-20 | Tampa | Florida | MASONRY BUILDERS, INC. | Ankle(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
An employee was bending down, reaching through a tower frame for a work platform to bind straps and frames together in preparation for shipping. The frame flipped over and landed on his left ankle, dislocating and fracturing it. He was hospitalized. | |||||
2019-09-16 | New York | New York | Northeast Structural Steel, Inc. | Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders | Struck by falling object or equipment, n.e.c. |
An employee was dismantling a temporary tower when a swivel hook appeared to shear, dropping a section of the steel tower 10 feet. The section hit the employee, who sustained a fractured sternum. | |||||
2019-09-09 | Snyder | Texas | Vestas American Wind Technology, Inc. | BODY SYSTEMS | Direct exposure to electricity |
An employee sustained an electric shock on his right ring finger while troubleshooting a wind tower. He was hospitalized. | |||||
2019-08-29 | North Ridgeville | Ohio | J W Didado | Shoulder(s) and back | Other fall to lower level 21 to 25 feet |
An employee was descending from a transmission tower when he fell 25 feet to the ground, suffering a separated shoulder and L2 and L3 vertebrae injuries. He was hospitalized and had surgery. | |||||
2019-08-16 | Rankin | Texas | RES America Construction, Inc. | Head and trunk | Fall through surface or existing opening more than 30 feet |
After erecting and connecting a base to a mid tower section, employees were preparing to lower tools. An employee fell through a hatch (open so that tools could be lowered) to the concrete 60 feet below and suffered fractured ribs, a fracture to the T-12 vertebrae, a knee injury, and laceration to the back of the head. | |||||
2019-08-15 | Seiling | Oklahoma | NextEra Energy Resouces | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
An employee climbed up an electric wind tower nacelle to perform maintenance activities when he became ill, experiencing dizziness and fatigue. He was hospitalized with possible heat exhaustion. | |||||
2019-07-30 | West Springfield | Massachusett | Suez | Arm(s) | Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet |
An employee fell approximately 50 feet from the roof of a water tower to the ground, suffering a broken arm that required hospitalization. | |||||
2019-07-30 | Warrensburg | Missouri | Midwest Underground Technology Inc | Multiple body parts | Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet |
An employee was performing a structural upgrade on a tower. The employee's fall protection detached when a part of the tower was removed. The employee fell about 180 feet, striking an ice cover and an ice bridge, and suffered injuries to both legs, the right arm, and the chest. | |||||
2019-07-25 | Port Lavaca | Texas | E. F. Erwin, Inc. | Multiple trunk locations | Fall to lower level |
An employee was aligning an elevator inside a tower when the employee fell from a height and suffered a head injury, broken pelvis, and broken back. | |||||
2019-07-24 | Stratham | New Hampshir | Annseal Inc. | BODY SYSTEMS | Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts |
An employee was sealing cracks in the highway with a wand that dispenses rubber sealant from a slowly moving truck when the truck's light tower struck overhead power lines. Electricity traveled through the vehicle and down the wand where it shocked the employee. | |||||
2019-07-15 | Driftwood | Texas | Speakeasy Telecommunications Co., LLC | Multiple body parts | Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet |
An employee was coming down from a tower. He stepped onto a transformer cover and fell approximately 4 to 8 feet. He sustained two broken ribs, cuts to the face, and a dislocated shoulder. | |||||
2019-06-30 | Blackfoot | Idaho | Glanbia Foods, Inc | Shoulder(s) and arm(s) | Contact with hot objects or substances |
An employee was cleaning under a cheese tower conveyor belt when hot water (175 °F) was released on the employee, burning the left shoulder and arm. | |||||
2019-06-19 | Laurel | Mississippi | Frequencies Wireless Solutions | Nonclassifiable | Other fall to lower level 21 to 25 feet |
An employee fell approximately 25 feet while making his way down a cell phone tower. | |||||
2019-06-13 | Austin | Texas | Patriot Erectors Inc. | Fingertip(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
An employee was standing on a level surface and was using his hands to guide an iron column, which was being moved by a small tower crane. As he was guiding the suspended column, his finger was caught between a flange of the column and a tie-back cable (for a swing-stage) that was behind him. This resulted in a crushed right index finger and a laceration to the right middle finger. Following the injury, his right index fingertip was amputated at the hospital (from the top knuckle up), and his mi | |||||
2019-06-01 | Moran | Kansas | B & M Energy and Infrastructure | Abdomen, except internal location of diseases or disorders | Fall through surface or existing opening 6 to 10 feet |
An employee was up a tower in a wind turbine. A metal plate (a blade access cover) moved, causing the employee to fall about 7-10 feet into the inside of a blade. The employee suffered internal abdominal injuries. | |||||
2019-05-21 | Fitchburg | Wisconsin | Kraemer Brothers, LLC | Lower leg(s) | Struck, caught, or crushed in other collapsing structure or equipment |
An employee was dismantling a shore tower at a construction site. The shore tower tipped over and struck the employee causing a compound fracture to the lower left leg. | |||||
2019-05-14 | Aurora | Nebraska | Nedelco Inc. | Back, including spine, spinal cord | Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet |
An employee was performing a self rescue operation as part of his annual recertification as a tower climber. The employee attempted to lower himself to the ground using the release mechanism on his climbing equipment. When he was approximately 8 feet off the ground, he fell to the ground and landed on his back, fracturing his vertebrae. | |||||
2019-05-13 | Oak Grove | Louisiana | Carlton Structural Services Corp. | Multiple face locations | Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 21 to 25 feet |
An employee was picking up rigging shackles at the foundation base of a purposed cell tower. A climber on the tower had a tool pouch with a wrench that came loose off of his belt. The tool bag and metal wrench fell and struck the employee in the face, lacerating his upper lip and breaking his jaw and teeth. | |||||
2019-05-11 | Sarasota | Florida | Liberty Equipment | Nonclassifiable | Direct exposure to electricity |
An employee received an electrical shock and burns while securing the power cable to the tower crane. | |||||
2019-04-24 | Altamonte Springs | Florida | MACY'S, Inc. | Knee(s) | Trip without fall, n.e.c. |
A maintenance employee was working on the roof. He was walking down the fixed stairs from the cooling tower when he missed a step and both his knees gave out. He caught himself on the rail and did not fall. He suffered from torn tendons behind both kneecaps, requiring hospitalization and surgery. | |||||
2019-04-18 | Petersburg | Texas | Wanzek Construction | Multiple body parts | Fall through surface or existing opening |
While cleaning inside a wind turbine tower, an employee stepped through an open access hatch and fell to the deck below. The employee sustained fractures to the face, arms and legs. Fall protection was not worn at the time of the incident. | |||||
2019-04-17 | Syracuse | New York | Syracuse University | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning |
An employee was changing transmission belts on a 40-hp cooling tower fan, when the fan turned on and amputated the left index finger. | |||||
2019-04-15 | Riceboro | Georgia | HEAT TRANSFER SYSTEMS OF GEORGIA, LLC | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Caught in running equipment or machinery |
While working at a cooling tower, an employee was adjusting/leveling a motor and fan. The fan was turned on, which activated the belt and pulley. The employee's left hand contacted the fan's belt and pulley, resulting in a partial amputation (first joint) of the fifth digit. | |||||
2019-02-24 | Atlanta | Georgia | Fox Theatre, Inc. | Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders | Jump from collapsing structure or equipment 11 to 15 feet |
An employee was climbing a light tower on stage during the loadout of a show. The tower began to tip and the employee jumped so it would not fall on him. He landed on the stage more than 10 feet below, suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung. | |||||
2019-02-18 | Gulfport | Mississippi | Millerco, Inc. | Ankle(s) | Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet |
Employees were conducting a training exercise on rescuing employees at a cell tower. One employee, acting as the victim, was being brought down by another. The descending apparatus came down to the ground too fast. In the fall (about 15 feet), the employee acting as the victim broke both ankles and needed to be hospitalized. | |||||
2019-02-02 | Big Lake | Texas | B L Casing Services | Multiple body parts | Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part |
An employee was standing on a drilling rig when a piece of guarding fell from the tower and struck the employee's head, causing a contusion to the left eye, a laceration to the cranium, and fractures to cervical vertebrae and the left scapula. | |||||
2019-01-22 | New York | New York | Empire State Realty Trust Inc. | Fingertip(s) | Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning |
Employees were replacing a cooling tower fan belt. After the new belt was installed, the injured employee started up the equipment and the belt caught the employee's glove resulting in amputation of the thumb tip. | |||||
2018-09-15 | Decatur | Alabama | DAIKIN AMERICA, INC. | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker |
An employee was using a ratcheting air tool to remove bolts from a tower when the employee's left third finger was caught in the tool, resulting in an amputation of the distal phalanx. | |||||
2018-08-23 | Sarita | Texas | IEA Constructors, Inc. | Fingertip(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
An employee was lifting the tongue of a pull behind mobile light tower when their right ring finger was pinched between the tower's tongue and the ground resulting in a fingertip amputation. | |||||
2018-08-20 | Columbia | Missouri | REINHARDT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
An employee was attempting to flip over a concrete column form using a tower crane to access and tighten the pipe braces on the bottom side of the form. His hand was on a partially suspended form when his left thumb was pinched between the form and the pipe brace, resulting in a partial thumb amputation (just below the first knuckle). | |||||
2018-08-19 | Hope | Arkansas | BAKERY FEEDS | Multiple foot (feet) locations | Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 21 to 25 feet |
An employee was repairing a tower master where cables come out of a bucket to load modules of dough into a trailer. He climbed into one of the buckets and a kink formed in the cable, which slid off a U-bolt and jerked, dropping about 4 feet. Later, the cable came loose and the bucket fell about 25 feet to the ground with the employee still inside. He fractured his right foot and pinky toe and injured his vertebrae, requiring hospitalization. | |||||
2018-08-13 | Davenport | Nebraska | D & K Agri Sales Inc | Upper and lower limb(s) | Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part |
A crane operator was lifting a vertical pipe inside a steel tower structure so the pipe could be cut to size when the pipe started spinning. An employee went to check on the pipe when it came loose and fell approximately 6 feet, crushing the employee against the tower structure. The employee suffered injuries that resulted in a medical amputation of the left hand and left leg. | |||||
2018-07-27 | Winfield | West Virgini | Service Electric Company | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Fall, slip, trip |
On July 27, 2018, a lineman fell while guiding a steel tower foundation leg in place. His thumb was caught in a pinch point in the tower frame, suffering a fracture. | |||||
2018-07-27 | Syracuse | New York | Casler Masonry, Inc. | Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders | Fall from collapsing structure or equipment less than 6 feet |
An employee was leaving a mobile scaffold platform while holding a tower section that had just been unbolted. The employee and the tower section fell to the ground about 3 feet below, landing on an outrigger and suffering four broken ribs and blood in the lungs. | |||||
2018-07-11 | Lincolnton | Georgia | American Tank Maintenance, LLC | Thigh(s) | Struck by object or equipment |
An employee was climbing a fixed ladder up to a water tower when a stranded metal safety cable located beside the ladder came loose at the top anchor point and struck his leg, puncturing his right thigh. | |||||
2018-07-10 | Pasadena | Texas | Wood Group | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
An employee was working with another employee, torqueing the manways on a tower. He came down around 2:30 p.m. due to the weather and went back up around 3:30. Around 4:45 the two finished the job. They came down and walked back to the lunch tent to rest, at which point the employee began vomiting. He was hospitalized for heat-stress-related illness. | |||||
2018-06-29 | Newport News | Virginia | Newport News Shipbuilding Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries | Multiple body parts | Other fall to lower level 26 to 30 feet |
An employee was working on an aircraft carrier in drydock. While climbing across from one tower of free standing staging to another, he fell, landing on the dock floor about 30 feet below. He was hospitalized, having suffered two compound fractures in his left arm that required surgery, bruised kidneys/spleen, and a broken left wrist. | |||||
2018-06-21 | Hugo | Colorado | M.A. MORTENSON COMPANY | Fingertip(s) | Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment |
An employee was using a forklift to install a lifting beam on the top of a tower section when his finger was pinched between the beam and the forklift, resulting in an amputation of his left ring fingertip. | |||||
2018-06-19 | Saint Petersburg | Florida | Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital | BODY SYSTEMS | Exposure to environmental heat |
An employee felt dizzy and nauseous after working in a cooling tower. He collapsed, blacked out, and then vomited. He was hospitalized for dehydration and a fractured left big toe. | |||||
2018-06-07 | Talbotton | Georgia | Robinson Paving | Upper and lower limb(s) | Contact with hot objects or substances |
An employee was pumping liquid asphalt from a storage tower to a distribution truck when the employee was sprayed with the hot asphalt resulting in burns to the right thumb and index fingers and the left foot. The valve was not shut down at the time. | |||||
2018-05-17 | Southampton | Pennsylvania | New Age Industries, Inc. | BODY SYSTEMS | Vehicle or machinery fire |
An employee was working at an injection molding machine. A fire started at an extruding tower, when some silicone tubing broke and fell into the oven. The employee tried to fight the fire and suffered smoke inhalation. | |||||
2018-04-17 | Holyoke | Colorado | NE Colorado Cellular, Inc | Hip(s) | Struck by dislodged flying object, particle |
An employee was helping another employee move a RRU from the top of a wooden tower pole to the bottom. Another employee was holding onto a piece of conduit when a gust of wind picked up the conduit. The conduit came down, striking and possibly fracturing the injured employee's right hip. | |||||
2018-04-01 | Sun Valley | Idaho | Sun Valley Resort | Multiple trunk locations | Struck against stationary object or equipment, n.e.c. |
An employee was on skis patrolling the mountain at the end of the day. As the employee transitioned from groomed to ungroomed terrain, the ski binding failed and one ski came off. The employee lost control and pitched into a lift tower, losing consciousness momentarily and suffering broken ribs, a lacerated kidney, and a collapsed lung. | |||||
2018-03-31 | Chalmette | Louisiana | CLEAN HARBORS INDUSTRIAL SERVICES, INC. | BODY SYSTEMS | Engulfment in other collapsing material |
An employee entered a tower and was vacuuming out adsorbent that was stuck to the inside walls when the adsorbent became detached from the wall and engulfed the employee. The employee suffered upper body trauma and partial asphyxiation, requiring hospitalization. | |||||
2018-03-29 | Tulsa | Oklahoma | Trinity Structural Towers, Inc. | Finger(s), fingernail(s) | Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects |
An employee was preparing to buff the inside of a flange. He set the buffer down inside the tower while the section was being rotated. He noticed that the buffer cord was going to be pinched between the tower section and a stop, so he attempted to grab the cord. The tower section then amputated his right little finger at the first knuckle. | |||||
2018-03-20 | Miami | Florida | Allegiance Crane and Equipment | Brain | Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet |
An employee was descending a tower crane when he fell approximately 20 feet from one landing to the lower landing located inside the tower crane. He sustained head injuries and was hospitalized. | |||||
2018-03-16 | Pensacola | Florida | Kitkar Holdings, LLC. | Upper arm(s) | Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery-other than vehicle part |
An employee was standing by a frame machine (pulls automotive body and frames) while his co-worker was operating it when the machine's hydraulic tower (8-foot, L-shaped machine part) came off and hit the employee's right upper arm, breaking it. He was hospitalized. | |||||
2018-02-27 | Athens | Ohio | O'Blenness Memorial Hospital | Leg(s) | Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet |
A maintenance employee accessed a cooling tower from a fixed ladder. While descending the fixed ladder, the employee fell approximately 6 feet to the roof surface, fracturing the right leg. |