Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Gudenkauf Corporation, 761 West Union Road, CLENDENIN, WEST VIRGINIA 25045
on — Fractures, affecting the forearm(s).
Final narrative
An employee was cutting a tree off of a communication line when the tree snapped and the tension on the line flipped the tree/limb back onto the employee, striking his forearm and fracturing a bone.
An employee was working in bucket truck performing telecommunication maintenance. While the employee was tightening a lashing wire span, the strand slipped from the support clamp. The falling strand caused the lashing wire to sever the end of employee's left index fingertip, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was pulling a line with a take-up reel leaning against mule tape. The mule tape had a small tracer wire in it. The employee came in close proximity to the electrical line and an arc occurred, shocking the employee's left hand.
An employee was using a rodder to clear underground communication lines and was placing it into a cradle when it slipped, striking the employee in the face. The employee was hospitalized with facial fractures.
On June 25, 2016, at approximately 12:10 p.m., two employees were digging with hand tools around a main telephone pole when the push pole fell and struck one of the employees. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis that required surgery.
An employee was inspecting a bridge repair project. A gas-powered, walk-behind pavement saw, being used 12 feet away from the employee lunged forward, cutting his left foot. The employee's fourth toe was amputated and he was hospitalized.
An employee had been reviewing an insulated glass unit. The employee was placing the glass unit back in its box when it slipped out of the box and a chipped corner lacerated the employee's left hand.
An employee was on a truck while using a clamp to secure a quartz slab to an A-frame on the truck. A gust of wind pushed the slab onto the employee, resulting in a dislocated right shoulder and wrist.
An employee was shearing off two inches of metal when the metal kicked up and struck his hand. The employee's left ring and middle fingertips were amputated.
An employee was working on a 35,000-pound I.D. fan. As the employee rotated the blades with his foot, the blades continued to spin, lacerating his right foot and amputating a toe.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 237130)
An employee was terminating cables in a junction box. A loose ground wire came into contact with the bushing, causing a flash that burned the right side of the employee's face and his right hand.
An employee was using a bucket truck hoist to raise secondary aerial wiring. The wire made contact with the primary wire, causing an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to both hands and was hospitalized.
An employee was terminating conductors to buss bars inside the secondary compartment of a single-phase transformer. An arc flash occurred, causing burns to the soft tissue of the employee's face.
An employee was securing the claw of a grapple truck to the truck bed. His left little finger was caught between the tie down strap and the rub rail of the truck, resulting in partial amputation of the finger.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.