Fall through surface or existing opening 16 to 20 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at TEC Environmental, Inc., 900 East 15th Street, PLANO, TEXAS 75074
on — Fractures, affecting the ankle(s).
Final narrative
An employee was working in a crawl space above the ceiling cleaning out debris during roof repairs. The employee fell 18 feet through a hatch door to the concrete ground below breaking both ankles and sustaining a head laceration.
On November 16, 2023, at around 3:30 p.m., a subcontracted employee was painting a door jam on a three-story house when he fell 20 feet through an opened elevator shaft to the floor below. The employee sustained fractured vertebrae that required hospitalization.
Employees were removing and replacing skylights on a metal roof. The injured employee's lanyard became tangled and they fell through the skylight to the ground 16-18 feet below. The employee suffered fractures to the wrist, ribs, and hip.
An employee was requested by a client to string wire on top of an auditorium. He used a boom lift to access a beam and then exited the boom lift to walk on the beam. He then stepped down on a drop ceiling, lost balance, and fell. The drop ceiling caved in and the employee fell 20 feet onto bleachers sustaining injury to his abdominal area and lower left leg. The employee was wearing a harness, but it was not connected to an anchoring point at the time of the fall.
An employee was installing decking (steel grates) in a new construction steel framed building. The employees were working approximately 22' above the next lower level, which was a concrete ground floor. The decking was pre-cut with the floor opening prior to installation. Shortly after installing the floor opening, the employee fell through the floor opening, approximately 18' onto a section of metal ductwork, resulting in fractures to the skull, ribs, thorax, and lumbar vertebra, as well as an ear laceration.
An employee was taking measurements of an area for drywall when they stepped backward into a partially covered hole in the floor. The employee fell approximately 17 feet to the level below, sustaining a forehead fracture and avulsion, a right shoulder dislocation, a left forearm fracture, left knee tendon and meniscus tears, as well as multiple contusions and abrasions.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 561210)
An employee's hand was caught in a conveyor belt as they worked to clear a jam in a piece of equipment. The employee suffered a dislocation to the right elbow, as well as a broken ulna near the elbow, and was hospitalized.
An employee was changing AC filters while on a ladder. The employee stepped up to the second-to-last rung when they slipped and fell about 5 feet to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to their scapula and ribs, a collapsed lung, and a back injury.
An employee was performing restoration activities outside a 45-gallon condensation tank of a boiler system. As they were performing post-maintenance activities after repairing one of the two discharge pumps, one of the discharge valves would not open. The employee closed the intake pump to cool off the system and open the discharge valve. Two employees opened the inlet valve to return the tank to service. After they cracked open the inlet valve, a side wall of the tank blew out, causing the injured employee to suffer steam burns to half their body.
On August 19, 2025, an employee became ill and dehydrated after working outdoors for eight hours, participating in training activities. He was hospitalized.
An employee was ascending a fixed ladder and struck his head on an overhead object that was approximately 20 feet above ground level. The employee sustained neck injuries and tingling in his fingers. The employee was hospitalized.
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.