Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker · Cuts, lacerations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Mertz Manufacturing, Inc., 1701 N. Waverly Street, PONCA CITY, OKLAHOMA 74601
on — Cuts, lacerations, affecting the thigh(s).
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning a weld with a 5-inch sander and was working in a tight spot when the sander kicked back and lacerated the employee above the left knee.
An employee had been working in a hot environment near a burn table. After walking down some steps and heading to the area where she kept her personal items, she fell backward and hit her head on the floor, suffering a skull fracture.
A maintenance employee was removing a hydraulic cylinder from a paint conveyor lift. When the cylinder was removed, the counterbalance was freed. The employee's left hand was then caught between the counterbalance and the stop plate, fracturing the hand.
An employee was on the back of a semi truck attaching hoses to a trailer. He fell off the side of the truck, landing on the ground about 45 inches below. He was hospitalized to treat fractures in his back.
An employee was using a saw to cut a piece of concrete when the piece gave way and pushed the saw into the employee's leg. The employee's leg was lacerated, requiring stitches and hospitalization.
An employee was grinding some hardfacing on a bulldozer blade when the 9-inch grinder kicked back and lacerated his left leg above the knee. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was operating a rotating tool to place thread protectors on the end of pipe. Her left hand was on the rotating part of the tool when the tool engaged, resulting in a left forearm fracture and a thumb laceration.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 332312)
On October 21, 2025, an employee was operating a saw when a pneumatic clamp caught their right middle finger. The employee suffered a partial amputation to the finger.
An employee completed an end cut on a metal shim and started transferring the metal shim from the saw conveyor to two saw horses in the area. The employee set one end of the shim (7 feet long x 8 inches wide, weighing 218 pounds) on one of the saw horses, then slid the other end onto the other saw horse and the shim fell from the first saw horse. The employee's left index fingertip was pinched between the saw horse and the shim, resulting in a skin avulsion. The fingertip was amputated later.
An employee was using a crane to move a 44-foot, 3,343-pound I-beam. As the beam was moving west, it straightened out (north to south), beginning to swing south toward the northwest corner of a building. The crane then sent the beam southward, directly toward the corner of the building. The beam caught the tips of the employee's left index, middle, and ring fingers against the building. The last joints of the middle and ring fingers were amputated, and the last joint of the index finger was partially crushed.
An employee was moving steel beams with an overhead crane when the bundle struck a bollard and became unstable. As the employee reached to stop the material from shifting, his thumb was pinched in-between the beams, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was rigging a steel joist to be lifted by a crane. The joist fell and pinned the employee against the concrete ground. The employee sustained fractures to multiple ribs, his right arm, right tibia, and an open fracture to his right ankle, as well as a dislocated right hip.
An employee was helping to move a 1,300-pound coil on a cart. The steel caster hit a crack in the concrete, the weld holding the caster onto the cart broke, and the coil and cart tipped over onto the employee. He was hospitalized with a laceration on his forehead and a pelvic fracture on his right side.
An employee was working in the food service warehouse when he experienced chest pain, difficulty breathing, and lost consciousness. The employee sustained carbon monoxide poisoning.
An employee was cutting a piece of metal rod with a metal cutting machine. His right middle finger became caught between the rod and the machine's table. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated.
An employee was working at her desk. She went to stand up and fell to the floor beside the desk. The employee sustained a hip displacement and required surgery.
An employee was processing wood boards at a chop saw when the saw malfunctioned and the blade cut her left hand and fingers. She was hospitalized and her little finger was surgically amputated.