U.S. Water Services Corporation

An employee was moving a 300-pound pump base from the truck when the strap slipped and the pump fell onto the employee's foot, resulting in a severe laceration on a toe.

An employee was soft digging around a pipe with a vacuum truck/trailer and a water hose. The hose nozzle hit the employee's right foot and the water jet lacerated it, causing possible nerve or tendon damage along with a small cut.

An employee had just manually cleared a steel grate at a sewage inlet trough. He fell from a fixed ladder to the concrete floor, suffering lacerations, contusions, and hairline fractures to the head, neck, right knee, and right tibia.

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.

An employee was replacing a water check valve at a water plant. He was lifting the valve with two hands when it slipped and contacted his right ring finger, resulting in a partial amputation without bone loss.

The injured employee was assisting with hitching a trailer to a truck. The employee was working to engage the lunette ring on the trailer with the pintle hook on the truck. A mini-excavator began driving onto the rear of the trailer. The added weight caused the rear of the trailer to lower and the front to rise, creating a pinch point between the trailer and the truck. The employee s left thumb was caught in the latch mechanism of the pintle hook. The thumb tip was partially amputated and required surgery.

An employee was spraying down an area by a conveyor he had been using. Moving parts (such as rollers and chains) inside a gear box amputated his right arm at the elbow. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was adjusting a machine attached to a tractor that rolls out hose into a trench. The machine lowered to the ground and part of it landed on his big toe, amputating it.

An employee was stung by a bee while working in the field. The employee suffered an allergic reaction and was hospitalized.

An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.

An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.

An employee was inspecting a generator whose radiator was leaking. He slipped, and a fan blade in the generator amputated his thumb and index finger.

An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.

An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.