Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Republic Services, 5860 45 St #258 , WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA 33407
on — Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury, affecting the back, including spine, spinal cord, unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was performing internal maintenance on a waste sorting machine and sustained a back injury while attempting to crawl out of the tight space.
HospitalizedBack, including spine, spinal cord, unspecifiedBodily motion or position of injured, ill worker
On June 24, 2025, at 3:25 p.m., an employee had just finished dumping his truck at the recycling facility when they took a break in their truck. They began to experience signs of heat-related illness and left the cab of the truck before temporarily losing consciousness and collapsing. The employee was hospitalized due to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and acute kidney distress.
An employee was servicing the compactor. They were reconnecting the turnbuckle on a receiver box when the turnbuckle slipped and fell, crushing the employee's left middle fingertip. The employee was hospitalized for surgery.
An employee was tarping and strapping down a garbage container when they slipped on broken glass on the floor and fell. The employee sustained a dislocated shoulder and a brain bleed.
An employee was transporting a patient to their residence. The employee bent down to grab a stretcher and felt a pop in their back. The employee sustained a herniation of their L4-L5 disc.
On November 18, 2023, at approximately 8:30 a.m., an employee was loading products onto a delivery truck. The employee lost footing and sustained a torn hamstring and a hematoma with nerve damage to his foot/leg.
An employee was carrying a pipe when it slipped from their hand. As they reached to grab it while it was falling, they felt a muscle pull. The employee was hospitalized for an abdominal hernia.
On August 21, 2023, an employee was reaching for product on the shelf in the cooler when their back gave out. The employee was hospitalized for an exacerbation of bulging disks.
An employee was performing maintenance on a hopper. The employee's hand was caught in a cylinder pivot point area when the pneumatic cylinder released trapped air. The cylinder crushed the employee's left little finger, causing the partial amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was opening a door to a semi trailer at the facility and his hand was caught between the door and another parked semi. The employee's left index finger was fractured and thumb muscles were injured. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was removing residual meat particles from the sprocket of the crossover conveyor belt in the packing area. While doing so, the conveyor started and his fingers were caught between the metal framework and the belt, resulting in amputations to the middle and ring fingers on the left hand as well as skin damage to the right hand.
An employee was unloading vehicles. While unloading a van, the brakes failed and the vehicle rolled off the car hauler and ran over the employee. The employee was hospitalized for a lower left leg fracture.
An employee was servicing the compactor. They were reconnecting the turnbuckle on a receiver box when the turnbuckle slipped and fell, crushing the employee's left middle fingertip. The employee was hospitalized for surgery.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.