Struck by dislodged flying object, particle · Cuts, lacerations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Zachry Industrial Inc., Colorado Bend II, WHARTON, TEXAS 77488
on — Cuts, lacerations, affecting the eye(s).
Final narrative
An employee was installing insulation from a scaffold in a kneeling position. An insulation clip fell onto the scaffold planking. Debris became airborne and got into the employee's right eye, lacerating the cornea.
An employee was walking on site when he tripped on a wooden survey stake that was lying flat on the ground. He fell into another employee and sustained a fracture to the tibia/fibula.
An employee was working on top of a rebar mat that was about 4 feet off the ground. As he walked across the mat, he stepped into a gap and his lower leg was caught in the rebar. His right leg twisted, and he suffered fractures to the tibia and fibula. He was hospitalized.
A Zachry Industrial employee was pushing a cart up a walkway. A forklift struck the employee as it finished turning around, its back right wheel hitting the employee's left foot and causing multiple fractures.
An employee was welding the bottom of a chute on the underside of a bin. Hot material came through a small gap between a gate inside the bin and the chute, contacting the employee below. The employee received second and third burns to the neck.
An employee was working to fit two 1-1/2-inch stainless steel spool pieces at a flanged connection to bolt up.
To align the two spool pieces, the top section of pipe (10 feet in length) was rigged using a nylon strap choker, attached to a 1/2-ton chain.
As the employee attempted to move the pipe, the load shifted in the nylon strap, causing the top section of the pipe to drop approximately 1-2 inches, which pinched the injured employee's left index finger in the flanged connection and resulted in an amputation of the finger's distal tip.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 236210)
An employee was fixing a broken purlin at a worksite when they fell from the framing to the concrete floor approximately 19 feet below. The employee sustained brain bleeding and fractures to their face, vertebrae, and wrists.
Employees were removing scaffolding that was used to repair an ion exchange tank. The line was undergoing the regen process when a piece of scaffold struck a PVC pipe that transported hydrochloric acid (HCl). The injured employee was placing material inside a scaffold rack when he was sprayed in the face with HCl and sustained chemical burns to his eyes, face, chest, right arm, and left leg.
An employee was moving a ramming machine to a staging area. While using the controls on the side of the machine, there was a sudden heavy rainfall causing the equipment to slide. The ramming machine tipped over and caught the employee against the ground. The employee sustained a fracture to the right side of their pelvis and was hospitalized.
The injured employee was training a new employee on a dough machine. She went to show where the batter comes from and her right index fingertip was cut. The employee sustained an amputation to the fingertip. The machine was not guarded at the time of the incident.
An employee was operating a roller machine on a dirt slope when the machine hit a bump and fell onto it's side. While trying to get free of the falling machine, the employee's legs were pinned by the top bar of the cage. The employee was hospitalized and his left leg was amputated. He also sustained fractures to a hand and finger.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.