US Forest Service

An employee working as a contracted firefighter was using a bulldozer to push back an active fire line when they became entrapped in flames, resulting in first- and second-degree burns.

An employee had been assisting fire crews with an active wildfire. The employee suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized for surgery.

On June 22, 2023, a crew was hiking and clearing trails while heading to an avalanche area to remove trees. The crew came across a tree that was 10-inches in diameter and suspended above ground across the trail. The injured employee used a hand saw to cut the tree. The tree was tangled with another tree, causing it to kick up and strike the injured employee. She fell to the ground and became pinned to a log, resulting in a puncture wound to the leg and lung damage that required hospitalization.

An employee was receiving an overview on how to clean out a piece of the top dressing machine when it gets jammed with pearlite. The employee went to feel the roller grooves when the machine activated and amputated his right index fingertip.

Employees were fighting wildfires when the wind changed and blew the fire back onto the firefighters. The employees sustained multiple burn injuries and one firefighter was run over by a UTV while trying to escape the flames.

On November 17, 2023, a maintenance employee opened a line and residual bromine was released. The employee sustained burns to their palm and left leg and also suffered an inhalation injury.

An employee was picking up trash bags on a route and putting the bags in the back of a garbage truck. The employee was compacting the trash when one of the bags released vapor and dust from chlorine and pool cleaning chemicals. The vapor and dust contacted the employee's eyes and mouth and were inhaled. The employee was hospitalized with chemical irritation to the eyes and lungs.

On June 2, 2023, an employee was re-installing a repaired valve. When the employee applied pressure to the system to test the repair, air that contained peracetic acid (PAA) residue flowed from the tote filling wan. The employee contacted the PAA mist, resulting in hospitalization for second-degree chemical burns to the face, swelling of the lips and throat, and irritation to the lungs.

An employee was pouring a copper food additive into a bucket when the product splashed into his eyes and face. The employee also inhaled and ingested the substance. The employee suffered copper poisoning.

An employee was rebuilding a valve on a refrigeration system and had pumped down the ammonia in the system to conduct maintenance. He removed a cover and was sprayed by residual anhydrous ammonia. The employee sustained chemical burns to the face and hands and may have sustained a respiratory injury.

An employee was loading the back of his truck with buckets of oil. As he was coming down off the truck, he slipped on a surface that was wet due to rain and fell about 3.5 feet to the ground, landing on his left elbow/arm. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left humerus and required surgery.

On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.

An employee was supervising a crew as they felled a dangerous tree during a forest fire. The tree struck the employee as it fell, breaking bones.

An employee was riding a horse and leading several pack mules along a trail. A few mules started acting up, causing the horse to stir. The employee then fell off the horse and landed on a stiff woody protrusion that impacted her chest/rib area. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured rib and a punctured lung.

An employee was working on a tree thinning unit and was cutting a 6" diameter tree. During the back-cut when the chainsaw kicked back. The saw struck her, resulting in a 3-inch laceration on her left leg below the knee. She was hospitalized and required surgery.

An employee was delivering materials. He was doing his pre-delivery inspection on the roof of the jobsite (a warehouse) when he fell through a plexiglass skylight. He landed on his feet on the concrete floor 14 feet below. The employee sustained fractures to his spine, left ulnar/radius, and right heel. The employee required surgery.

An employee was cutting cabinet trim using a table saw when four fingers on his left hand were severed, resulting in hospitalization and amputation.

An employee was removing packaging from a roll of printing substrate. The blade of their utility knife got stuck. The employee used both hands to free the knife and the blade partially amputated their left little fingertip.

A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.

An employee was standing on an extension ladder, using a torquing tool to remove bolts that secured blades to a rotor. When the torquing tool activated, its reaction arm came around and pinched the employee's right middle finger against a lifting eye. His fingertip was amputated.