Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Germer Construction Inc., Stadium Drive and Idaho St., MOSCOW, IDAHO 83844
on — Fractures, affecting the pelvis.
Final narrative
An employee was cutting a pressurized 16-inch PVC water line with a chop saw. The line exploded and the employee suffered a fractured pelvis and other injuries. He was hospitalized.
An employee was using an air compressor on a multi-wheel tire when the flange and the tire burst, causing the wheel's lock ring to strike the employee in the face. He sustained a laceration and facial fractures.
An employee was changing the connection to a compressed nitrogen tank when the system failed and exploded. One employee suffered a concussion and was hospitalized. The other employee sustained soft tissue injuries that did not require hospitalization.
An employee was putting air in a tire that was mounted on a customer's vehicle when the tire exploded, resulting in a left arm fracture that required hospitalization.
On October 24, 2023, at 12:00 PM, an employee was visually checking a gauge on the "U" controller when a pressure tank exploded. The employee was hospitalized with multiple facial fractures and required surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 237110)
An employee was moving a tensile strength test device with a dolly. The device fell from the dolly onto the employee's right leg, causing a compound fracture.
On October 7, 2025, employees were conducting trenching operations for the installation of a new sewer line system. The excavator's bucket was detached and put inside the trench as it was being exchanged for a different-sized bucket. An employee entered the trench with a shovel to move some dirt located at the front end of the pipe. The excavator bucket shifted and slid, striking the employee s right foot and trapping it against the ground. The employee sustained a fractured right tibia.
Employees were working to dislodge a large truck that was stuck in a rut using tow straps and a front-end loader with the bucket removed. An employee connected the straps to the loader and truck and another employee slowly engaged the loader to close the coupler. The injured employee's arm became caught in a pinch point. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured arm.
An employee was lifting a piece of 30-inch line stopping equipment using a jack screw. A lifting eye weld snapped and the load dropped. The end of the jack screw then landed on the employee's heel and crushed it. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
An employee was standing on a multi-purpose ladder installing head flashing over a window. Their feet were approximately 6 feet off the ground and three rungs from the top. The employee lost their grip on the drill they were using and the ladder tipped over. The employee fell from the ladder to the ground, resulting in a fractured left wrist, bruised chest, and lacerations to their face and lip.
An employee was inspecting the overhead area of a single-person lift and repositioning the lift through a double doorway. As they were transitioning through the doorway, they were caught between the doorframe and the vertical mast of the lift. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to the nose, left maxillary sinus, left orbital bone, and left jaw, with fractures at the maxillary sinus area.
An employee was loading a 4-inch wooden door into a pickup truck when he felt a pop in his right side behind his shoulder blade. He was hospitalized later that day and underwent surgery, having suffered a collapsed right lung.