Engulfment in other collapsing material · Asphyxiations, strangulations, suffocations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Helena Chemical Co, 2202 S Red River EXPY, BURKBURNETT, TEXAS 76354
on — Asphyxiations, strangulations, suffocations, affecting the bODY SYSTEMS.
Final narrative
An employee was operating a loader to load dry fertilizer into a truck when a wall of dry (hard) fertilizer broke loose, broke the windshield of the loader, and engulfed the loader and the employee up to the middle of his chest. He suffered breathing difficulties and leg contusions, requiring hospitalization.
An employee from Tractor and Equipment Company was standing on the side of a sewer pipe trench at a customer worksite. The ground caved in. The employee fell head-first into the trench and was buried up to his feet. The employee was suffocated by the soil and lost consciousness. The employee was hospitalized for a concussion and fractures.
An employee was hauling cotton seed and arrived on-site for a load. When one of the bins would not drop cotton seed, the employee opened the back gate to the trailer and stood on the cotton seed to poke the seed. The cotton seed fell, engulfing the employee. The employee was hospitalized.
On August 14, 2019, a temporary employee was cleaning out a grain bin with a vacuum system. The employee was engulfed in the grain (which was about 5 feet deep) up to about chest height. He was hospitalized, suffering from breathing issues.
An employee entered a tower and was vacuuming out adsorbent that was stuck to the inside walls when the adsorbent became detached from the wall and engulfed the employee. The employee suffered upper body trauma and partial asphyxiation, requiring hospitalization.
The employee was dumping material from a dump truck and was struck by the material (approximately one ton of soil) resulting in a compound fracture to the leg and a broken nose.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 424910)
An employee was fixing an issue with seed cleaning equipment when he slipped on the ladder he was on. He went to catch himself and his hand went into a moving belt and pulley on the cleaner. The employee sustained the amputation of his right middle and index fingertips just below the fingernails.
At about 5:30 p.m. on September 23, 2025, an employee was unloading rubber mix material from a mixer. The employee's hand was caught by rotating parts in a discharge chute, causing a partial, soft-tissue amputation to a fingertip.
An employee was walking around a customer's truck. The truck door opened and caused the employee to trip and fall on a salt pallet. The employee suffered a compound fracture to the left arm.
An employee had delivered product to a customer and was driving a forklift to the rear of the delivery truck. The forklift jumped/bounced, sending the employee up into the air and back down onto the seat. The employee sustained a back fracture.
An employee was climbing an inspection ladder to observe the inside of a hopper. He slipped on the fourth rung, fell backward, and landed on his right foot on the ground about 38 inches below, suffering a broken right ankle.
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.