Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD, CVN68 USS Nimitz Pier B, BREMERTON, WASHINGTON 98314
on — Fractures, affecting the neck, except internal location of diseases or disorders.
Final narrative
An employee was working near a drive shaft on a naval vessel. He ducked under the propulsion shaft and his hard hat struck the shaft causing a broken vertebra in his neck. He was hospitalized.
HospitalizedNeck, except internal location of diseases or disordersWater vehicle, n.e.c
More severe injuries at PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD
An employee was opening a scuttle on the third deck of an aircraft carrier. The scuttle quickly opened and pinched the employee's finger against a scaffold, resulting in a finger laceration and fractures.
An employee was helping a coworker drill pilot holes through a wooden block. The coworker was operating the drill while the employee checked the hole alignment when the drill bit cut through the block and contacted the employee s right index finger, amputating it to the first knuckle.
An employee was assisting with loading product (sacks of dirt) onto a barge. The sack of dirt swung and pinched the employee between it and other sets of product on the barge. The employee suffered a neck compression injury and was knocked unconscious.
An employee was on a barge adjacent to a lift that was being tested. As the load was lowered, a nylon stiffener broke free from existing structural steel and fell 80 feet, striking the employee in the right forearm. The employee sustained two broken bones in the forearm.
An employee was offloading cargo from the hatch of a motor vessel onto a dock when the cargo (bagged cement) struck the employee and caused them to contact a nearby hatch wall. The employee sustained injuries to their neck, right lower back and right leg.
An employee was walking across the barge when they stepped across a barge gunnel lid that was hidden due to coal spillage. The lid came up and struck the employee, resulting in abdominal bruising.
An employee was climbing up an A-frame ladder to gain overhead access to install ship ventilation equipment. The employee's safety glasses bumped the sprinkler head diffuser, which knocked his glasses off and caused a laceration to his left lower eyelid and an injury to the sclera.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 928110)
An employee was activating the sprinkler system at a sports complex following recent maintenance to repair leaky pumps. When the system was activated, a section of newly installed 3-inch schedule 80 PVC pipe struck the employee, who lost consciousness. The employee suffered a broken jaw and a concussion.
An employee was ascending a flight of stairs after exiting their vehicle in an adjacent employee parking lot. The employee stepped to the right to avoid another employee on the left who was descending the stairs. The employee lost their balance and fell on the stairs. They were hospitalized with a laceration/abrasion to their chin, a fractured left humerus, and bruising to their left knee.
At about 3:10 p.m. on October 3, 2025, an employee was inspecting a car. Two dogs that had been in another car were leashed and tethered to a bollard. As the employee inspected the first car along with a narcotics detection dog, one of the other dogs came loose and attacked the narcotics dog. The employee was separating the dogs when the other dog bit his left ring finger. The last joint of the finger was injured and part of it was bitten off.
An employee was climbing a fixed ladder to perform maintenance in an attic. While unlocking the attic entry, the employee fell from the ladder more than 10 feet to the concrete below. The employee suffered a fractured hip, pelvis, tail bone, arm, and elbow, resulting in hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was drilling a hole into the sealed hold of a vessel so a marine chemist could test its atmosphere. Upon drilling the hole, a gas that was under pressure was released and caught fire at the drill motor, where the employee was holding it. The employee was burned.
An employee was performing restoration activities outside a 45-gallon condensation tank of a boiler system. As they were performing post-maintenance activities after repairing one of the two discharge pumps, one of the discharge valves would not open. The employee closed the intake pump to cool off the system and open the discharge valve. Two employees opened the inlet valve to return the tank to service. After they cracked open the inlet valve, a side wall of the tank blew out, causing the injured employee to suffer steam burns to half their body.
An employee was testing and troubleshooting the gang cylinder valve located in the gang area of the sawmill. The employee's fingertip was amputated by the gang cylinder valve.
An employee was unlocking containers on deck. The employee was de-lashing while standing on the edge of the lid. The lashing bar he was holding came off the cone, causing him to turn 90 degrees and strike a railing behind him. The employee sustained four fractured ribs.
An employee parked a side-by-side on the fixed internal ramp aboard a cargo ship. They exited the side-by-side and went to inspect the cargo below. The side-by-side rolled toward the employee and struck them as they were walking toward the edge of the ramp. The employee was knocked off the ramp and landed on the lower deck approximately 8 feet below. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured shoulder.