MTC/Ports of America

An employee was assisting with loading product (sacks of dirt) onto a barge. The sack of dirt swung and pinched the employee between it and other sets of product on the barge. The employee suffered a neck compression injury and was knocked unconscious.

An employee was on a barge adjacent to a lift that was being tested. As the load was lowered, a nylon stiffener broke free from existing structural steel and fell 80 feet, striking the employee in the right forearm. The employee sustained two broken bones in the forearm.

An employee was offloading cargo from the hatch of a motor vessel onto a dock when the cargo (bagged cement) struck the employee and caused them to contact a nearby hatch wall. The employee sustained injuries to their neck, right lower back and right leg.

An employee was walking across the barge when they stepped across a barge gunnel lid that was hidden due to coal spillage. The lid came up and struck the employee, resulting in abdominal bruising.

An employee was climbing up an A-frame ladder to gain overhead access to install ship ventilation equipment. The employee's safety glasses bumped the sprinkler head diffuser, which knocked his glasses off and caused a laceration to his left lower eyelid and an injury to the sclera.

While preparing to install a new spool piece for a vapor and spent sulfuric acid line, an employee was working to ensure there was no residual product or pressure in the line before removing the 6-inch hose. The valve was cracked, and some spent acid still in the line sprayed out. The employee was standing off to the side and at a distance, but was still contacted by the hot acid, resulting in corrosive and thermal burns to their upper torso and mid-thighs of both legs.

An employee was driving a utility tractor rig when it struck the rear trailer of another utility tractor rig, which was traveling in the opposite direction. The glancing impact caused damage to the cab, and he sustained a laceration on right side of his face, a cervical fracture, two fractured left ribs, and a pelvic fracture. The employee was hospitalized.

The injured employee was standing by the controls for the electric spud system on the barge, preparing to raise the spuds. Meanwhile, an excavator was moving a mat on the deck. As the excavator swung from port to starboard, it's counterweight struck the injured employee s shoulder, causing them to lose balance and fall against the spud controls. The employee sustained bruises and contusions to their right shoulder and chest.

An employee was standing on the outside edge of a hopper barge while watching a skid steer push ore for an excavator (with a clamshell bucket) to unload. The excavator was on a work barge. The bucket of the excavator struck the employee and caused a near-amputation of their right arm and fractures of the ulna and radius of the left arm. The right arm required surgery.

An employee was inspecting a conveyor to see why it was not running. The employee entered the the conveyor motor area, tripped on a piece of angle iron welded to the floor, and fell. The employee sustained a fractured orbital bone.

An employee was closing a gun locker in his automobile trunk when his left middle finger was partially amputated by the lid.

An employee was ascending a flight of stairs after exiting their vehicle in an adjacent employee parking lot. The employee stepped to the right to avoid another employee on the left who was descending the stairs. The employee lost their balance and fell on the stairs. They were hospitalized with a laceration/abrasion to their chin, a fractured left humerus, and bruising to their left knee.

A mail handler was moving BMCs on the loading dock when they fell from the loading dock to the concrete ground below. The employee was hospitalized with head trauma.

An employee was on an A-frame ladder while preforming demolition of a ceiling. A section of HVAC ductwork fell on the employee and knocked them to the ground approximately 12 feet below. The employee was hospitalized with a concussion and lacerations.

On the morning of July 24, 2025, an employee was conducting synthesis of a highly toxic experimental chemical (nerve agent) in a chemical fume hood. The operation was completed at approximately 11:30 AM. The employee was exposed to the chemical and began experiencing symptoms of illness/poisoning around 1:30 PM and was hospitalized.