H.M. RICHARDS, INC.

An employee was building wood frames using a frame stapler when a staple discharged into their left wrist.

An employee was operating a button making machine when she reached around the guard to pull out the stems before it jammed up. Her foot was still on the foot peddle and it was pressed when her finger was in the point of operation. The machine smashed her right index finger resulting in the amputation of the finger.

An employee was installing a 15-amp breaker in an electrical panel when a 12-gauge ground wire touched the positive busbar of the panel, resulting in an arc flash. The employee sustained a second-degree burn to their left hand.

An employee was repairing an HVAC system in the drop tile ceiling of a conference room when they were shocked, causing them to fall from the ladder. The employee sustained burns to their right middle and ring fingers.

An employee was replacing a contactor inside an electrical panel attached directly to a press. The press itself was receiving power from another main panel. After replacing the contactor, the employee flipped the switch and an arc flash occurred, burning the employee's elbow, bicep, and neck.

An employee was attempting to switch a medium-voltage primary cable and install a 200-amp fuse barrel. The employee contacted the bottom of the switch gear cradle for the fuse barrel, causing an arc blast. The electricity entered the employee s left hand and exited his big toes, resulting in electric shock and burns to the left hand, arm, shoulder, and both feet. The employee was hospitalized.

On December 6, 2023, an employee of Duke Energy was working on a single-phase 120-/240-volt parallel service re-tap when a secondary flash occurred in an underground service. The employee suffered a second-degree burn to the face and was hospitalized.

An employee was riding a pallet jack toward the breakroom when the pallet jack struck an order picker and the employee's foot was fractured.

On September 13, 2024, the injured employee was walking through an aisle where a co-worker was removing pallets from the racking system using an order picker. The corner of a pallet being moved contacted the corner of a skid next to it, causing two empty pallets to fall 12 to 16 feet from the racking onto the injured employee. The employee sustained a laceration and contusions to the back of their head and left shoulder.

An employee was operating a panel saw. The machine malfunctioned and the employee went behind it to try and fix it. When he adjusted a valve, the machine activated and moved forward trapping him between the beam and the wood preparing to load. The employee sustained fractured ribs and injury to the abdomen and chest areas.

An employee was cutting wood parts on a band saw. The saw cut her left index finger at the knuckle closest to the palm and the employee sustained an amputation to the left index finger.

An employee was clearing a jam in a T-nut insertion machine when it cycled, resulting in a left index fingertip amputation.

An employee was checking a pole-type transformer tank for leaks. A hydraulic clamping device was lowered onto his right thumb and crushed it against the sharp edge of the bottom of the tank. He suffered a partial transphalangeal amputation to the thumb.

The injured employee was standing behind a table. She jumped out to scare another employee, but tripped and fell on the tile floor, injuring her right ankle/foot. She was hospitalized with a dislocated ankle that required surgery.

An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.

An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.

An employee was operating a gas tugger to lift metal sheeting. His left hand was pulled into the pulley, which crushed his left thumb, resulting in avulsions and other tissue damage. He was hospitalized and required surgery.