Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Aaron Equipment Co., Inc., 735 E. Green Street, BENSENVILLE, ILLINOIS 60106
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the forearm(s).
Final narrative
The injured employee was using an oxy-acetylene torch to remove one of the legs from the outside of a centrifuge (used process equipment). After 10-15 minutes, the injured employee began having issues with the torch. He paused his work briefly and a second employee came over to assist with lighting the torch. Once the torch was relit, the injured employee resumed cutting activities on the centrifuge and an explosion/fireball occurred. The injured employee sustained severe burns to his forearms and was hospitalized. The second employee was treated and released on the same day.
An employee was cleaning leaking plastic from an injection nozzle. As the employee was lifting and dislodging plastic, the nozzle shifted and burst apart. The nozzle struck the employee's mouth and jaw and burned the employee. They also sustained a jaw fracture.
An employee was fueling a tractor with diesel when there was an explosion and a fire started. The employee sustained third-degree burns to 32% of his body, chest, and arms.
An employee was torching materials to free a jam in a baler machine when an explosion occurred, resulting in second-degree burns to their left arm and leg that required hospitalization.
An employee was welding an oil pipe and installing a gauge on the pipe of a drilling rig. As he cut into it with a torch, an explosion occurred. The shockwave of the explosion caused the employee to sustain a concussion and multiple broken bones.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 423830)
An employee was sorting sucker rods. His right hand was caught in the area where the rod hits up against the frame and his index fingertip was amputated just below the nail.
An employee was using a powered miter saw to cut 2x4's. The saw blade hit something inside a board (possibly a hidden nail) and jumped, causing a laceration to the employee's left forearm. The employee was hospitalized with soft tissue and tendon injuries that required surgery.
A crane had been used to set a steel plate on a steel frame. An employee was trying to remove a clamp from the plate when the plate fell and crushed the tip of his left little finger. The employee sustained a fingertip amputation.
An employee was operating a scissor lift, raised to a height of about 15 feet, to inspect an overhead crane rail. The crane itself was being moved. Its hook swung into the scissor lift s arms, causing the lift to tip over onto its side, which in turn caused the lift and the employee to fall to the floor. The employee suffered injuries including broken ribs, spinal fractures, scapula fractures, and internal injuries.
A technician was operating a crane hoist to lift/remove a cylinder head from the main engine (port). The load was lifted at an angle, causing the cylinder head to get stuck on the cylinder head studs. When it became free from the studs, the cylinder head swung. It struck the technician and caught them against the cabinet door. This resulted in an amputation of their left index fingertip at the distal knuckle.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.