Fall from collapsing structure or equipment, unspecified · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Valmont - Birmingham Galvanizing, Inc., 475 Dietrich Road, STEELE, ALABAMA 35987
on — Fractures, affecting the foot (feet) and ankle(s).
Final narrative
A maintenance employee was preparing to replace a steel catwalk grate with a fiberglass grating. He was standing on the steel grate when the supporting bolts and/or grate gave way and he fell to the ground below. He suffered a fractured right ankle and right heel.
An employee was on a step ladder applying glue to a panel when the ladder fell apart, causing the employee to fall to the floor. The employee sustained rib fractures.
On December 5, 2023, an employee was loading product onto a freight elevator when the elevator fell with the employee inside. The employee sustained a right leg injury.
On 11/28/2023, an employee was loading a cart with supplies to be delivered to a restaurant. He stepped onto a ramp to get into the back of a truck but the ramp fell to the ground, causing the employee to fall as well. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured ankle.
An employee was climbing a 16-foot fiberglass extension ladder to access a roof so they could take measurements for a roofing quote. The employee had partially ascended the ladder when the ladder broke in half. The employee's foot was caught in a ladder rung resulting in an ankle fracture that required surgery.
An employee was replacing a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) valve in a ceiling while standing on a ladder. The ladder collapsed while the employee was descending, causing them to fall to the floor. The employee sustained a broken wrist.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 325510)
An employee was operating a shear to cut metal parts when two of their fingers contacted the blade. This resulted in amputation of the left middle and index fingertips.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.
A maintenance employee was climbing a fixed roof access ladder to perform work on an HVAC unit when they fell from the ladder, over the second-floor railing, and onto the stairs below. The total distance of the fall was over 20 feet. The employee suffered multiple fractures that required hospitalization.
At about 8:00 p.m. on September 8, 2025, an employee was cleaning an extruder. While he was brushing built-up powder, his hand brushed the extruder screws. The screws caught his right index finger and amputated about a quarter inch of it.
At about 10:30 a.m. on August 7, 2025, a warehouse technician working for Tnemec Company, Inc., began sweating profusely a half-hour into their shift. The employee was using a forklift to move staged pallets of paint to a shrink-wrapper, shrink-wrap the pallets, and then load the pallets onto a truck using a forklift. The employee became ill about two hours later and was hospitalized for heat-related illness.
An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.