Newport News Shipbuilding Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries
Other fall to lower level 26 to 30 feet · Fractures (except rib, trunk fractures) and internal injuries
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Newport News Shipbuilding Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, 4101 Washington Ave, NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA 23607
on — Fractures (except rib, trunk fractures) and internal injuries , affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was working on an aircraft carrier in drydock. While climbing across from one tower of free standing staging to another, he fell, landing on the dock floor about 30 feet below. He was hospitalized, having suffered two compound fractures in his left arm that required surgery, bruised kidneys/spleen, and a broken left wrist.
HospitalizedMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Scaffolds-self-supporting staging
More severe injuries at Newport News Shipbuilding Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries
On October 16, 2024, an employee was installing a 2-inch by 6-inch pin in the eyelets of a large machinery door's cylinder and hinge. He was using a pry bar to raise the cylinder into position and confirming the alignment of the eyelet holes with his left index and middle fingers. The pry bar shifted, which caused the cylinder to drop onto his fingers. The employee's left index fingertip was amputated.
A temporary employee was using a hammer to remove loosened coupling bolts from the main shaft coupling in the shaft alley of a submarine. The hammer struck his left middle finger, causing an open fracture to the tuft of the last joint.
On December 7, 2021, a crane operator was tasked with relocating four lifting pad eyes from a pallet on the floor. The handling gear to be used was located on a handling gear rack. As the crane was hoisting a set of hook chains from the rack, the handling gear rack fell over onto a nearby employee, resulting in a fractured left femur.
An employee was laying down bridging (angle iron that is welded onto open web joists). He was moving backward toward the edge of a joist when his foot slipped. He lost balance and fell backward away from the structure and landed on the ground about 30 feet below. The employee sustained a broken right leg. The employee was wearing a harness but it was not connected at the time of the fall.
On June 16, 2023, an employee was checking the I-beams on a bridge. He unhooked his harness to move across the section of the second beam. While hooking his harness on the third beam, his foot hit the cable that was connected to the beam and fell approximately 25 to 30 feet to the muddy clay floor below. The employee sustained a left hip and femur fracture.
An employee was using a 60-foot ladder to access the fourth floor of a building in order to paint the balcony. The employee was holding onto the handrail while painting it when the handrail brackets broke, causing him to fall approximately 30 feet to the ground and land on top of air conditioning units. The employee suffered severe lacerations on the face and fractures to the cheekbones and eye bones. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee entered a portable structure that was being rigged up to a crane. The crane began lifting the portable structure with the employee inside when the structure fell 15-30 feet to the ground. The employee sustained a left leg fracture, a dislocated right ankle, and back injury.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 336611)
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was preparing to bend a flat bar in a brake press. When the machine was jogged, the stock rotated up and crushed his left middle fingertip against the outer frame of the die. The fingertip was amputated.
An employee was cutting metal with a torch. A piece of metal struck the employee's left foot, causing multiple fractures to metatarsal(s). The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was descending a ladder carrying a bag of trash. He fell, landed on the ground about 10 feet below, and suffered fractures to his right hip and pelvis.
A building engineer was inspecting a generator. As he closed the generator enclosure door, his right ring finger was caught between the door and the door frame. The fingertip was amputated.
An employee was walking back to a carrier case with mail in her hand when she tripped over a tub. Her back overarched as she fell, resulting in a fractured back that required hospitalization.
An employee was driving a utility tractor rig when it struck the rear trailer of another utility tractor rig, which was traveling in the opposite direction. The glancing impact caused damage to the cab, and he sustained a laceration on right side of his face, a cervical fracture, two fractured left ribs, and a pelvic fracture. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was washing an aircraft from a scissor lift when they fell to the floor. The employee sustained a back injury and lacerations to their head and neck.