USDA Forest Service

Employees were building a water pool for a pump site. Just after being handed a rock to stack, an employee lost his balance and fell forward while holding the rock. His finger was crushed between the rock he was holding and another on the ground, and he suffered an amputation.

An employee was inside a ditch while pull-starting a gas-powered water pump with their left hand. As the employee pulled the handle, their hand was punctured by a stick protruding from the bank of the ditch, resulting in a wound that subsequently became infected and required hospitalization.

An employee slipped and fell while working in steep, rough forest terrain. A sharp stick or other object pierced the employee's clothing and lacerated the employee's abdomen.

An employee was making a pride loop to tie a horse. The horse got aggressive and the loop closed around the employee's left hand amputating the fingertips.

An employee responded to a wildland fire and was constructing a line. The employee sustained heat stroke and was hospitalized.

An employee was using an air compressor on a multi-wheel tire when the flange and the tire burst, causing the wheel's lock ring to strike the employee in the face. He sustained a laceration and facial fractures.

An employee was changing the connection to a compressed nitrogen tank when the system failed and exploded. One employee suffered a concussion and was hospitalized. The other employee sustained soft tissue injuries that did not require hospitalization.

An employee was putting air in a tire that was mounted on a customer's vehicle when the tire exploded, resulting in a left arm fracture that required hospitalization.

An employee was working in a kitchen when a spray can of oil exploded. Hot oil splashed onto the employee, burning their face and arms.

On October 24, 2023, at 12:00 PM, an employee was visually checking a gauge on the "U" controller when a pressure tank exploded. The employee was hospitalized with multiple facial fractures and required surgery.

An employee was loading the back of his truck with buckets of oil. As he was coming down off the truck, he slipped on a surface that was wet due to rain and fell about 3.5 feet to the ground, landing on his left elbow/arm. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left humerus and required surgery.

On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.

An employee was supervising a crew as they felled a dangerous tree during a forest fire. The tree struck the employee as it fell, breaking bones.

An employee was riding a horse and leading several pack mules along a trail. A few mules started acting up, causing the horse to stir. The employee then fell off the horse and landed on a stiff woody protrusion that impacted her chest/rib area. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured rib and a punctured lung.

An employee was working on a tree thinning unit and was cutting a 6" diameter tree. During the back-cut when the chainsaw kicked back. The saw struck her, resulting in a 3-inch laceration on her left leg below the knee. She was hospitalized and required surgery.

The injured employee was assisting a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enforcement operation. During an apprehension, officers returned fire at a subject and struck the employee with a bullet. The employee sustained a gunshot wound to their right hand.

The injured employee was assisting in the disassembly phase after a radar array had been lowered and secured. The crew began removing load bearing pins from an overhead crane to free the radome. A load bearing pin was stuck. The injured employee went to remove the pin manually as a second team member applied pressure from the opposite side. The pin unexpectedly released and struck the injured employee s right thumb, resulting in partial amputation of the distal phalanx including an open distal phalanx fracture and nail bed laceration.

An employee was working on an electrical panel in a mechanical room when an arc flash occurred. The employee suffered burns.

At about 3:10 p.m. on October 3, 2025, an employee was inspecting a car. Two dogs that had been in another car were leashed and tethered to a bollard. As the employee inspected the first car along with a narcotics detection dog, one of the other dogs came loose and attacked the narcotics dog. The employee was separating the dogs when the other dog bit his left ring finger. The last joint of the finger was injured and part of it was bitten off.

An employee was preparing a bundle of green onions for chopping. While holding the bundle in his left hand, he made his first cut using a 9-inch kitchen knife held in his right hand. The knife contacted the tip of his left thumb, resulting in an amputation of approximately 0.5 inches of the thumb that required hospitalization.