Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at USDA ARS, 17,000 N Jornardo Rd., LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO 88012
on — Fractures, affecting the jaw, chin.
Final narrative
An employee was moving cattle to load and/or unload a trailer when the trailer gate struck the employee's face. The employee suffered a broken jaw and was hospitalized.
An employee was operating a forklift and unloading a truck. After the truck was unloaded, the employee got off the forklift and proceeded to adjust the dock plate with a hook tool. The dock plate slipped and the employee went to adjust the plate with their hand when their left middle finger got caught. Their finger was amputated above the first joint.
An employee was rotating a carbide granulator blade when his finger was caught between the blade and a stationary part of the machine. The employee's right middle finger was partially amputated and they suffered an avulsion to the right ring fingertip.
An employee was using a CNC metal lathe machine in manual mode to check that the thread blocking tool made contact with the jaws. As the employee was manually spinning the spindle, his index fingertip was crushed between the spindle's jaws and the grooving insert, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
During a material handling operation, an employee's fingertip was caught under an air conditioning unit as the unit was lowered onto a cart. The employee's fingertip was amputated.
An employee was removing a bolt from a tractor hub when their right index finger was caught between the hub and the frame. The employee's fingertip was crushed and the employee was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 541710)
An employee was removing an access panel to a machine when their left index finger was caught between the panel and the machine surface flange. The employee sustained a fingertip amputation.
An employee was departing an airport gate area after walking out of a plane when they tripped on the seam of an unlevel carpet. The employee fell forward to the floor and sustained a fractured right shoulder/arm, right knee pain, a hip injury, and facial lacerations.
An employee was lifting up buckets in a spray paint booth. The employee lost balance when they stood up and fell to the floor resulting in a broken femur.
An employee finished cleaning the feeder from the extruder line and was descending a step ladder. The ladder moved unexpectedly, causing the employee to lose balance and fall. The employee's left ring finger contacted a slowly rotating agitator resulting in a broken bone and lacerated tendon.
An employee was servicing an exterior mounted environmental control unit while on a 10-foot ladder. He pushed through a pre-made knockout hole on the panel. Upon bringing his arm down, a sharp area along the panel frame lacerated the top of his hand. The employee required surgery.
On 7/31/2025, an employee was training to ride an ATV when it went into a draw and she went over the front of the ATV, landing on the ground. The employee sustained a fractured arm.
An employee was standing behind a frac pump. A discharge hose failed and the employee was burned by hot water on the left upper abdomen. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee working as a contracted firefighter was using a bulldozer to push back an active fire line when they became entrapped in flames, resulting in first- and second-degree burns.
An employee was assisting with the delivery of pipe racks to the drilling rig. The driver was releasing the tie-down lock straps that were holding the pipe racks on the trailer. When the last strap was released, one of the pipe racks rolled off the trailer and struck the employee while they were on the passenger side of the trailer bed. The employee sustained an open wound to the hand and fractures to their left leg and spine.