Potts Welding & Boiler Repair Co., Inc.

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 positioning dunnage on a trailer while pipe was unloaded from a forklift. A pipe fell and the employee's right thumb and index finger were caught between the pipe and a piece of dunnage. The thumb was crushed, and the index fingertip was amputated.

An employee was using a lifting sling on a crane to move a straight-bar bundle and place it on top of an existing bundle. When moving the lifting sling, it became pinched between the bundle and a wood cleat. The bundle then fell onto the employee's left foot, resulting in crush injuries.

An employee was stacking metal tubes using a forklift. A stack became unstable and the employee got out of the forklift to steady it, instructing his helper to get into the forklift. The forklift movement caused some tubes to fall and strike the employee, resulting in an open fracture of his left hand.

An employee was setting up a flexible gear coupling hub in a lathe, preparing to bore it out to fit a shaft. The hub assembly was not secured in the chuck when the crane support was removed, and the employee's right little finger was caught between the hub assembly and the inside of the lathe. The fingertip was amputated.

An employee was using a crowbar to loosen a flat bar when the crowbar struck the employee's right eye. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.

A flagger was directing traffic flow in a highway work zone. They were standing approximately 1.5 feet behind the shoulder's demarcating line, next to and slightly behind a traffic drum. As they were directing traffic into and out of the driveway of a parking lot, a car attempted to get around a truck and struck the traffic drum, which subsequently struck the employee, who was thrown 15 feet and landed on top of concrete aggregate. The employee suffered pelvic and rib fractures, T10 and L3 vertebra fractures, and internal bleeding.

An employee was troubleshooting a power washer in the field. Because there might have been water in its fuel, he brought it back to the shop and drained about a gallon of fuel from the tank into a plastic container. Some of the fuel spilled onto the floor and ignited. The employee was stomping out the fire when he lost his balance and tripped into a stool, which caused the plastic container to spill more fuel onto the fire. The employee's pants and shirt caught on fire, and he fell, abrading his knee while trying to get through the flames. As well as the knee abrasion, he suffered burns to the left leg and left lower quadrant of the torso. He was hospitalized.

An employee was backing up a tram (towing powered industrial equipment) to connect it to a trash bin. The employee's left forearm/wrist was caught and crushed between the tram and the bin. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee went to lift a carton and tripped on a different carton that was on the floor. She fell on the floor in the backroom and sustained a fractured right hip, and abrasions to her arm and knee. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.

An employee was conducting a delivery of beverage products and began having cramps due to dehydration. The employee was hospitalized.