Struck by object or equipment rolling freely · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Westar Energy, A quarter mile west of Q road on Seven Street, AURORA, KANSAS 67417
on — Fractures, affecting the ankle(s).
Final narrative
As part of a storm restoration project, an employee was on the ground disconnecting wires from electric poles. One or more poles started to roll and struck the employee, breaking the left ankle.
An employee was exiting the bucket of a bucket truck when he fell approximately 6 feet, striking an adjacent pickup truck and cinder block. He suffered a laceration to the left side of his head and broken ribs on his left side.
An employee was connecting a dolly to a trailer. The equipment rolled away, causing the employee's left index finger to be crushed between the trailer and the dolly. The employee sustained amputation of the fingertip.
On October 17, 2023, at 9:55 p.m., an employee was working on a ramp while moving merchandise from a cargo loader to a dolly. The employee was putting the locks on the dolly and transferring a unit load device containing packages when she realized the lock was in the down position. As she attempted to fix the lock, the unit load device started moving toward the dolly, and the employee became wedged between the dolly and the device. The employee suffered an injury to her lower left leg.
Two employees were shaking out steel beams and standing them vertically. One beam was hit, causing the other beams to fall. A beam then rolled over an employee's left shin and fractured it. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 221121)
An employee was performing troubleshooting and maintenance on one of the generators that feed the RF line for glue-laminated timber (glulam) beam production. He was reattaching the outer panel of the generator. A circuit was completed and the employee was electrocuted by the generator and sustained burns. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was utilizing a utility task vehicle (UTV) to patrol a 138 kV transmission line in a right-of-way. The UTV drove into a washout hole that was approximately 6 feet deep and obstructed by vegetation. The employee sustained a dislocated shoulder, a fractured left humerus, back pain, and a strained ankle. He was hospitalized.
A crew of employees were working to replace a utility pole that was broken by a motor vehicle accident. As the crew was removing equipment from the broken pole, part of the pole broke, fell on the injured employee, and rolled over him. The employee sustained two broken shoulders, multiple broken ribs, and a damaged lung that required hospitalization and surgery.
An Ameren lineman was making secondary voltage connections in a pad-mounted residential feed transformer. The lineman contacted an energized lead bushing, sustained an electrical shock, and was hospitalized.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.