Exposure to environmental heat · Effects of heat and light, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CenturyLink, 4195 King Hwy., PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA 33948
on — Effects of heat and light, unspecified, affecting the bODY SYSTEMS.
Final narrative
An employee had been pulling cable and was hospitalized for heat related illness.
An employee was working at mid-span between two telephone poles (that is, on a ladder set between the poles and designed to fit between them). The ladder slipped and the employee fell to the ground about 12 feet below, landing on his feet and shattering both heels.
An employee had been using a bucket truck to repair a telecommunications cable at a customer's residence. The employee completed the job and got down into the truck bed from the bucket itself, and was then stepping off the platform at the rear of the truck when he missed a step, lost balance and fell from the back of the truck to the ground approximately 4-5 ft below. The employee landed on his tool belt and the right side of his lower back. He was hospitalized with four fractured vertebrae in the lower back.
An employee was performing finishing work on a residential driveway when they began to experience body cramps and were hospitalized for heat stress and dehydration.
An agent was participating in SWAT team selection and was performing various physical fitness skills including running and exercise intervals. The agent experienced dehydration and a muscular injury that required hospitalization.
On September 26, 2023, an employee was delivering packages when he began to feel ill with a pain in his side. He was hospitalized for heat exhaustion and dehydration.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 515210)
An employee was approximately 5 feet up on a ladder while drilling a hole for cable installation. A wasp attacked him. As he was coming down the ladder, he landed flat on his feet on the ground, and his right leg was twisted. The employee sustained a fractured tibia.
An employee had been installing an outside cable line at a residence. The employee became nauseous from working in the heat. The employee was hospitalized with heat exhaustion and dehydration.
An employee tripped at an elevation change while approaching a home. He fell to the ground and hit his head on a rock, suffering a contusion to the left eyebrow and a possible concussion.
An employee climbed to the top of a ladder at a customer's house. The ladder shifted and the employee fell 28 feet to the ground. The employee was hospitalized for a lung contusion and a right foot contusion.
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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.