Struck by dislodged flying object, particle · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Nelson Tree Service, LLC., County Road 494 and County Road 470, LAKE PANASOFFKEE, FLORIDA 33538
on — Fractures, affecting the lower leg(s).
Final narrative
A tree limb was cut and dropped to the ground. When it hit the ground, it shattered. Tree limb debris struck a nearby employee, who suffered a broken fibula and tibia and was hospitalized.
An employee was removing two 6-inch diameter elm trees to create space to fell a larger ash tree. The employee felled the first tree and it fell into the second elm tree. When he cut down the second elm tree, it broke off the stump due to the pressure from the first tree and struck the employee's left leg. The employee was hospitalized for a fractured fibula.
An employee was directing the driver of a truck. The truck's right front tire drove over the employee's lower left leg (below the knee) and onto the right leg near the calf. The truck was then backed off the employee. The employee was hospitalized with swelling, a contusion, and a blood clot.
An employee was topping a 100-foot-tall tree. The employee was attached to the tree using a climbing line and a safety line, about 60 feet high, when the tree split below the cutting point. The employee was knocked off the tree and struck by the split section of the tree, suffering a broken right leg, abdominal contusions, and a chipped lower-back vertebra.
An employee was operating an 18-inch wood chipper with a winch attachment. The employee had tied a piece of wood to the machine's winch and a piece of excess rope from the winch was wrapped around his leg. As the machine began feeding the piece of wood into the chipper, the employee's leg was yanked towards the machine. The employee was able to engage a safety mechanism that stopped the chipper before his leg reached the chipper wheel. The employee was hospitalized for a fractured pelvis and other injuries.
An employee was cleaning out the feed-wheel of a wood chipper when the trailer jack holding the feed-wheel in place slipped out. The feed-wheel then struck the employee's left forearm, fracturing and lacerating it.
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.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 561730)
An employee was helping to set up a mulch blowing truck when they were struck by an oncoming vehicle. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured knee, a concussion, and a head laceration; they also received stitches on their arm.
An employee was using a table saw to cut a piece of wood when the saw cut his thumb, index, and middle fingers. His index finger was amputated and he was hospitalized.
An employee was mowing a residential lawn at a client's house. The mower slid on the land and tipped over onto him. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra in the neck and partial paralysis.
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 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.