Black Gold Farms

An employee was grating sweet potatoes on a harvester when their right ring finger got caught in a belted chain on the harvester, resulting in a fingertip amputation.

An employee in the field was troubleshooting an operation control issue on a 480-volt irrigation pivot. While perched on the built-in ladder, the employee's screwdriver made contact with an energized contactor screw, resulting in an electric shock. The employee was temporarily disoriented, felt chest pain, and climbed down from the equipment. The electrical shock caused an irregular heartbeat.

An employee was shaking vines out of a harvester when he was bitten by a snake on the hand, requiring hospitalization.

An employee was using a produce bagger machine to fill sacks with potatoes when the machine's pneumatic clamp crushed the employee's left pinky finger, requiring amputation without bone loss.

An employee was driving an open cab tractor when a tree limb lacerated his cheek. The scratch later became severely infected and required hospitalization the following day.

An employee was installing a 15-amp breaker in an electrical panel when a 12-gauge ground wire touched the positive busbar of the panel, resulting in an arc flash. The employee sustained a second-degree burn to their left hand.

An employee was repairing an HVAC system in the drop tile ceiling of a conference room when they were shocked, causing them to fall from the ladder. The employee sustained burns to their right middle and ring fingers.

An employee was replacing a contactor inside an electrical panel attached directly to a press. The press itself was receiving power from another main panel. After replacing the contactor, the employee flipped the switch and an arc flash occurred, burning the employee's elbow, bicep, and neck.

An employee was attempting to switch a medium-voltage primary cable and install a 200-amp fuse barrel. The employee contacted the bottom of the switch gear cradle for the fuse barrel, causing an arc blast. The electricity entered the employee s left hand and exited his big toes, resulting in electric shock and burns to the left hand, arm, shoulder, and both feet. The employee was hospitalized.

On December 6, 2023, an employee of Duke Energy was working on a single-phase 120-/240-volt parallel service re-tap when a secondary flash occurred in an underground service. The employee suffered a second-degree burn to the face and was hospitalized.

An employee was grating sweet potatoes on a harvester when their right ring finger got caught in a belted chain on the harvester, resulting in a fingertip amputation.

An employee was unloading potatoes from a large dump-style truck with a conveyor in the bed and was retrieving potatoes that fell into the collection tray area beneath the truck bed. The employee's glove became caught and his right hand and forearm were pulled between the belt and the tensioner bar. The employee sustained an amputation of their right arm to the mid-biceps area.

An employee was clearing a jammed conveyor belt and sustained an amputation of her middle and ring fingers at the third knuckle.

An employee became dehydrated while working outside in a sweet potato field.

An employee was removing a sprocket from an extender when his right middle finger became pinched between the chain and the motor. The employee sustained an amputation to their finger.

An employee fell from a dock to ground level (less than 4 feet) and broke their tibia/knee.

An employee was on the ground working to close a trailer door. The door was caught by the wind and blew the employee backward. He landed on his back and sustained four fractured ribs, requiring hospitalization.

An employee was walking on top of boiler to close a valve. The employee fell off the boiler and landed on the floor, sustaining fractured ribs. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was exiting a loader and coming down the ladder. His hand slipped off the railing and he fell backward onto sandy ground, landing on his side. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and a rotator cuff tear.

An employee's left bicep was lacerated by high-pressure water during water blasting operations. The employee was hospitalized.