Direct exposure to electricity, unspecified · Electrical burns, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at ASARCO LLC, Hayden Operations, HAYDEN, ARIZONA 85135
on — Electrical burns, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
At about 12:40 p.m. on December 5, 2018, two employees were rolling a starter on a compressor that involved inserting a large breaker into a switchgear. An arc flash burned both employees, and both were hospitalized.
An employee was making routine rounds at the plant when a power outage occurred causing a fan to fail. The employee was overcome by sulfur dioxide. The employee did not have a respirator at the time of the incident.
An employee was installing a 15-amp breaker in an electrical panel when a 12-gauge ground wire touched the positive busbar of the panel, resulting in an arc flash. The employee sustained a second-degree burn to their left hand.
An employee was repairing an HVAC system in the drop tile ceiling of a conference room when they were shocked, causing them to fall from the ladder. The employee sustained burns to their right middle and ring fingers.
An employee was replacing a contactor inside an electrical panel attached directly to a press. The press itself was receiving power from another main panel. After replacing the contactor, the employee flipped the switch and an arc flash occurred, burning the employee's elbow, bicep, and neck.
An employee was attempting to switch a medium-voltage primary cable and install a 200-amp fuse barrel. The employee contacted the bottom of the switch gear cradle for the fuse barrel, causing an arc blast. The electricity entered the employee s left hand and exited his big toes, resulting in electric shock and burns to the left hand, arm, shoulder, and both feet. The employee was hospitalized.
On December 6, 2023, an employee of Duke Energy was working on a single-phase 120-/240-volt parallel service re-tap when a secondary flash occurred in an underground service. The employee suffered a second-degree burn to the face and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 331411)
An employee was changing an anode mold. The employee's right hand was caught in a pinch point when a forklift raised the hot anode mold. The employee received second and third degree burns on the right hand.
An employee was troubleshooting a feeder's conveyor belt pulley, which was not moving. He was checking the belt's tension when it started to move, catching his right index finger and resulting in an amputation of the first digit. The feeder was not locked out and was unguarded at the time of the incident.
An employee was moving a 1,000-pound coil of metal using a floor crane when the coil fell off the crane and landed on the employee's lower legs, contusing/crushing them from the knees to the ankles.
An employee was making routine rounds at the plant when a power outage occurred causing a fan to fail. The employee was overcome by sulfur dioxide. The employee did not have a respirator at the time of the incident.
On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.
At about 5:55 p.m. on August 9, 2025, an employee lost his footing while climbing an access ladder to a 12-foot-high spotlight platform. He fell about 9 feet to the ground, breaking eight ribs on the right side.
An employee was completing an annual work capacity test. Later that night, the employee experienced severe pain in their left leg and was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis and compartment syndrome in the lower left leg.
An employee was setting chains to secure a concrete barrier to a front-end loader. The chain became twisted and lost slack. The concrete barricade fell on the employee's left foot, causing a partial amputation to a toe.