Struck by swinging or slipping object, other than handheld, n.e.c. · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at NOWAK CONSTRUCTION CO., INC., Unknown, GODDARD, KANSAS 67052
on — Fractures, affecting the back, including spine, spinal cord, unspecified.
Final narrative
Worker was in a trench and was injured when an operator moved the trench box. The spreader bar on the trench box struck the worker in the back, cracking his vertebra. The worker was hospitalized one night.
HospitalizedBack, including spine, spinal cord, unspecifiedParts and materials, n.e.c.
More severe injuries at NOWAK CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.
Two employees were entering a sewer manhole. One of the employee's hands slipped and the second employee's middle finger was caught and amputated at the first joint as the manhole cover fell back into place.
A crew was pulling a 4-inch plastic gas pipe off a reel and straightening it for installation. The injured employee stepped up on the trailer to cut the last band holding the pipe in the coil on the reel. As he turned to step off the trailer, the end of the pipe rotated and sprung out of the cage surrounding the coil, striking the employee on the side of the head and knocking him off of the trailer into the roadway. The employee suffered head trauma that required hospitalization.
An employee and a co-worker were performing a pick inside a clear well. They rigged the skid pan that was full of broken concrete. When lifting, the load began to swing toward a wall. The employee tried to stop the skid pan from swinging and was struck by the pan, resulting in fractures to their left hip and wrist.
The employee had just completed refueling a lattice crane that was breaking up material and was winding the fuel hose back into the fuel truck when he was struck by the catwalk/stairs of the crane. The employee was hospitalized with a laceration to his backside, possible internal bleeding, and a broken hip.
An employee was fusing 10-inch black rubber utility pipes together using a pipe fusion machine and could not get the pipes to set correctly. The employee used a nylon strap attached to an excavator to lift one side of a pipe off a steel plate. As his hand was between two pipes, the pipes came back together, partially amputating two of his fingers.
An employee was lifting four bags of a lime blend weighing approximately 10,000 pounds using a crane. The load swung and pinned the employee against a structural I-beam, resulting in fractures to the hip and pelvis.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 237110)
An employee was moving a tensile strength test device with a dolly. The device fell from the dolly onto the employee's right leg, causing a compound fracture.
On October 7, 2025, employees were conducting trenching operations for the installation of a new sewer line system. The excavator's bucket was detached and put inside the trench as it was being exchanged for a different-sized bucket. An employee entered the trench with a shovel to move some dirt located at the front end of the pipe. The excavator bucket shifted and slid, striking the employee s right foot and trapping it against the ground. The employee sustained a fractured right tibia.
Employees were working to dislodge a large truck that was stuck in a rut using tow straps and a front-end loader with the bucket removed. An employee connected the straps to the loader and truck and another employee slowly engaged the loader to close the coupler. The injured employee's arm became caught in a pinch point. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured arm.
An employee was lifting a piece of 30-inch line stopping equipment using a jack screw. A lifting eye weld snapped and the load dropped. The end of the jack screw then landed on the employee's heel and crushed it. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.